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BBC proposes higher broadband costs for iPlayer users
Tuesday 23rd December 2008, by Daniel King
The BBC has indicated that it might be implementing a tiered system for use of the iPlayer.
Internet users who watch video files through the service might be able to select a range of quality levels, paying their internet service provider (ISP) more for higher quality video.
This comes after the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) issued its fourth quarter technical review interview with BBC's controller for vision and online media Anthony Rose.
It is revealed in the report that the iPlayer now accounts for seven per cent of the peak UK broadband internet usage.
This could lead some ISPs to charge up to £20 for access to the services.
Mr Rose said: "There is no problem with the amount of bandwidth as the iPlayer is nowhere near reaching the bandwidth limit. However, our audience statistics show that iPlayer usage peaks in the hours between 18:00 GMT and 23:00 GMT, which is also peak traffic for ISPs."
He added that many ISPs license the bandwidth for IP streams based on peak usage, which means that the iPlayer traffic is costing them money.
The BBC representative added that iPlayer is not solely responsible and noted that YouTube, Facebook and other services are also accountable.
Indeed, he said that BBC statistics indicate that this traffic is even larger than that of the iPlayer.
Mr Rose outlined a potential solution to the problem, saying that a user who enjoys a faster broadband connection would pay more and those satisfied with lower bandwidth connections will pay less.
ISP Review agreed that this may be an attractive solution for ISPs but said that users may balk at paying between £10 and £20 for the service on top of their broadband subscription and licensing fees.
Earlier this year, the iPlayer was awarded a BAFTA for Interactive Innovation Service/Platform, beating Channel Four's Art Mob and Bebo's Open Media Platform.
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