{"id":2058383,"date":"2026-07-23T11:12:27","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T08:12:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2058383"},"modified":"2026-07-23T11:12:27","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T08:12:27","slug":"bbc-may-lock-iplayer-if-you-dont-pay-license-fee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2058383","title":{"rendered":"BBC may lock iPlayer if you don\u2019t pay license fee"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/TV-Licence-Image.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"template-id-2749694\" class=\"post-2749694 tdb_templates type-tdb_templates status-publish post\">\n<div id=\"tdi_65\" class=\"tdc-zone\">\n<div class=\"tdc_zone tdi_66  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div id=\"tdi_67\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_68  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_70  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_breadcrumbs tdi_71 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-breadcrumbs \" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_71\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span>News<\/span><span>TV News<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_title tdi_72 tdb-single-title td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_72\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">BBC may lock iPlayer if you don\u2019t pay license fee<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_73 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_73\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>The corporation is looking to find a way to tackle non-payers who use BBC services<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_75 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_75\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span> Victoria Luxford<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_76 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_76\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2026-07-23T12:12:27+01:00\">23rd July 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_77\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_78  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_80  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span8\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_81 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_81\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"696\" height=\"442\" class=\"entry-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/TV-Licence-Image-696x442.jpg\" alt=\"TV Licence\" title=\"TV Licence Image\"><figcaption class=\"tdb-caption-text\">CREDIT: Steve Parsons\/PA Images via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"vc_row_inner tdi_83 article-content-row vc_row vc_inner wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column_inner tdi_85  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-inner-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>BBC chief customer officer Kerris Bright has said that locking people out of iPlayer if they don\u2019t have a TV licence could be an option for the future.<\/p>\n<p>The TV licence, which is currently \u00a3180 per year, is how the BBC receives most of its funding. Households can opt out of paying the licence if they do not use BBC services. The number of households paying in recent years has dropped, leaving the corporation trying to find ways of catching people who use their services without paying for a licence. It also recently produced an ad talking about the benefits of the BBC, which can be viewed below.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p><em>Deadline<\/em> have reported that, during an all-staff call on Monday (July 20), Bright said blocking non-payers from using iPlayer could be a possibility for the future, although impractical in the present. \u201ciPlayer is the only service really that\u2019s licensable where you could actually decide to put a gate in front of it,\u201d she said, \u201cbut the data today says that actually [there\u2019s] not really the return on investment for doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"What has the BBC ever done for me?\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/koftLxmT6Wc?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>She explained that the \u201cvast majority\u201d of iPlayer users have TV licences, and that implementing a system where people have to find their licence details to sign in would make the service inconvenient. However, she added: \u201cAs we go into the future, more of an IPTV world, audiences changing behavior, new ways of creating experiences that maybe aren\u2019t so full of friction for audiences\u2026 that might absolutely be an opportunity for us, depending on the funding model.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The BBC is currently discussing changes to its charter with the government, which is likely to involve how the funding model for the public service broadcaster can evolve. Last year, it was suggested that a licence could be required to access non-BBC streaming services such as Netflix and Disney+.<\/p>\n<p>Last week, the BBC revealed its highest earning presenters in its annual report, which was led by radio presenter Scott Mills prior to his sacking last March.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_tags tdi_87 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_87\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<ul class=\"tdb-tags\">\n<li><span>Related Topics<\/span><\/li>\n<li>BBC<\/li>\n<li>BBC iPlayer<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_89 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>You May Also Like<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_91  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span4 td-is-sticky\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td-a-rec td-a-rec-id-sidebar  tdi_92 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Stories<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap td_flex_block_1 tdi_105 td-pb-border-top td_module_flex_1--card td_module_flex_1--card--highlight td_block_template_2 tdc-no-posts td_flex_block\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_105\">\n<div id=\"tdi_105\" class=\"td_block_inner td-mc1-wrap\">\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">BBC may lock iPlayer if you don\u2019t pay license fee<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Film News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">The ending of\u00a0\u2018Heartstopper Forever\u2019\u00a0explained: do Nick and Charlie stay 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td-fix-index\">\n<p>BBC chief customer officer Kerris Bright has said that locking people out of iPlayer if they don\u2019t have a TV licence could be an option for the future.<\/p>\n<p>The TV licence, which is currently \u00a3180 per year, is how the BBC receives most of its funding. Households can opt out of paying the licence if they do not use BBC services. The number of households paying in recent years has dropped, leaving the corporation trying to find ways of catching people who use their services without paying for a licence. It also recently produced an ad talking about the benefits of the BBC, which can be viewed below.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p><em>Deadline<\/em> have reported that, during an all-staff call on Monday (July 20), Bright said blocking non-payers from using iPlayer could be a possibility for the future, although impractical in the present. \u201ciPlayer is the only service really that\u2019s licensable where you could actually decide to put a gate in front of it,\u201d she said, \u201cbut the data today says that actually [there\u2019s] not really the return on investment for doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"What has the BBC ever done for me?\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/koftLxmT6Wc?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>She explained that the \u201cvast majority\u201d of iPlayer users have TV licences, and that implementing a system where people have to find their licence details to sign in would make the service inconvenient. However, she added: \u201cAs we go into the future, more of an IPTV world, audiences changing behavior, new ways of creating experiences that maybe aren\u2019t so full of friction for audiences\u2026 that might absolutely be an opportunity for us, depending on the funding model.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The BBC is currently discussing changes to its charter with the government, which is likely to involve how the funding model for the public service broadcaster can evolve. Last year, it was suggested that a licence could be required to access non-BBC streaming services such as Netflix and Disney+.<\/p>\n<p>Last week, the BBC revealed its highest earning presenters in its annual report, which was led by radio presenter Scott Mills prior to his sacking last March.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/news\/tv\/bbc-may-lock-iplayer-if-you-dont-pay-license-fee-3958588&#8243;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/TV-Licence-Image.jpg&#8221;] NewsTV News BBC may lock iPlayer if you don\u2019t pay license fee The corporation is looking to find a way to tackle non-payers who use BBC services By Victoria Luxford 23rd July 2026 CREDIT: Steve Parsons\/PA Images via Getty Images BBC chief customer officer Kerris Bright has said that locking people out [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,78],"class_list":["post-2058383","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nme-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2058383","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2058383"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2058383\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2058383"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2058383"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2058383"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}