Changes at the BBC what does it mean for watching TV abroad

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Medoc Bob
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Changes at the BBC what does it mean for watching TV abroad

Post by Medoc Bob »

If you were reading any British online news source yesterday. You will have seen major changes are happening at the BBC.
I have been working for several expat TV providers over the years and as an expat in SW France myself have juggled with the TV solutions.

So what are the changes?

Later this year ( no date announced ) anyone using BBC iPlayer will have to signup / login and prove they have a TV Licence.
Now as the BBC actively promotes multi platform viewing of its iPlayer ( as do most broadcasters ) this will mean an account will have to be accessible on multiple devices. As a TV licence is for a household to be practical it will have to be at least 5 and more realistically 7 or 8.
This means if you have a TV Licence, no real change, I would also see that there should be no issue with sharing a licence number and or address with family members in the UK.

If you have no access to a UK TV Licence then you are going to need to look at other solutions.For catch up and live broadcasts.

What about the BBC blocking VPN addresses ?

This is already beginning to happen to providers with a small IP range. As there are hundreds of VPN providers out there most will be blocked. The simple rule of thumb is, if they offer a free trial you can see for yourself. If they don't they have probably been blocked.
For the big VPN providers with a massive IP range this will not be an issue. But for the small services with single server capacity they will go the way of the dodo !

If anyone wants any advice or got any questions about British TV anywhere in the world. I am more than happy to help


Bob
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kevsboredagain
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Post by kevsboredagain »

Are you actually trying to tell us it's harder for someone to block a bigger range of IP addresses than a smaller one? I think you just made that one up to promote your own business.
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Post by Medoc Bob »

kevsboredagain wrote:Are you actually trying to tell us it's harder for someone to block a bigger range of IP addresses than a smaller one? I think you just made that one up to promote your own business.
I wasn't meaning a single specific IP range i.e. on a single server. Which of course can be blocked as easily as blocking a single IP address.
I was meaning in the context of a massive range of IP addresses or IP "ranges" by having multiple servers in multiple data centre locations.

As I did say I was referring to the smaller VPN providers that only have a single server, hence a single range of IP addresses.

The company I work for has multiple servers in multiple locations, hence a greater range of IP addresses and the ability to introduce new ranges at a moments notice. Therefore harder to block..

Sorry I didn't make myself clearer before in my earlier post. I was just putting a simply comment up about the changes to BBC. I wasn't really meaning to go in-depth how a VPN works


Cheers

Bob
Back in UK, our house in France is now back as a Holiday Home
Medoc Bob
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Post by Medoc Bob »

casasantoestevo wrote:More adverts than channel 4 :lol: :lol: :lol:
Sorry I was just asked where to go to for TV solutions so I posted.
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CSE
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Post by CSE »

sorry I do not get the "you asked" bit of your post.
Because here you say;
"I still work for Lamnia VPN"
viewtopic.php?t=26165

So here is another solution. This is free unless you want HD.
http://live.camposat.tv/
Never try to out-stubborn your guests.
Medoc Bob
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Post by Medoc Bob »

casasantoestevo wrote:sorry I do not get the "you asked" bit of your post.
Because here you say;
"I still work for Lamnia VPN"
viewtopic.php?t=26165

So here is another solution. This is free unless you want HD.
http://live.camposat.tv/
"I was asked "in a couple of private messages not "I asked"

Thanks for the link I will take a look
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Medoc Bob
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Post by Medoc Bob »

casasantoestevo wrote:sorry I do not get the "you asked" bit of your post.
Because here you say;
"I still work for Lamnia VPN"
viewtopic.php?t=26165

So here is another solution. This is free unless you want HD.
http://live.camposat.tv/
I have to say a great way of watching TV, a good link you should share more often. Not the greatest quality and not the biggest selection of channels.
But as you say it is free, and it does work. Good stuff.
I would certainly recommend for anyone who is overseas for a short period or just wants to be able to catch up and watch a few favourite shows.

Nice link


Bob
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Casscat
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Post by Casscat »

I mostly watch UK TV via FilmOn, and I hope that I will still be able to access the BBC channels that way. Currently I can access BBC iPlayer by engaging my VPN, but I find that it disconnects periodically (usually at the moment when the murderer is about to be revealed, but winner announced or major shock of the series unleashed :x ) Also it will not give me access to the C4 player at all - I get a message that it is not available in my location. I use ZenMate Pro and I'm very disappointed that it isn't better to be honest as it is a subscription service and not some freebie. I did research quite a lot before choosing that VPN and the reviews were good. If anyone has any other recommendations I will be interested, particularly if they are viewing from Spain.
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kevsboredagain
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Post by kevsboredagain »

Casscat wrote:If anyone has any other recommendations I will be interested,
Don't encourage him :shock:
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Post by Casscat »

kevsboredagain wrote:
Casscat wrote:If anyone has any other recommendations I will be interested,
Don't encourage him :shock:
Oops :? I meant 'in general' from end users not employees. I will start a separate thread maybe....
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Post by CSE »

The UK on line channels are quickly catching on to the VPNs and blocking them. Next year The BBC is going to make the iplayer only available to UK TV licence payers.
Why we cannot pay to watch UK TV on line without VPNs.
We watch Dutch TV via a dish, but the signal for that is due to change satellites because they will be going HD. The problem for us is there is a wooded hill in the way. We will be going down the route of slingbox by the looks of it.
Never try to out-stubborn your guests.
Medoc Bob
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Post by Medoc Bob »

Casscat wrote:
kevsboredagain wrote:
Casscat wrote:If anyone has any other recommendations I will be interested,
Don't encourage him :shock:
Oops :? I meant 'in general' from end users not employees. I will start a separate thread maybe....
I don't get why you are so anti my posts. I have made it crystal clear that I work for these companies. I don't spam people. I don't send unrequested private messages.
There was a huge change in how BBC iPlayer will affect people watching abroad. I made 2 relevant posts!! As I work for a VPN company and an IPTV company. I thought I am in a good position to comment and advise.
I have received several private messages asking for help and advice and I have given.

As an ex-expat ( I now live back in the UK ) I can also appreciate how important watching UK TV when you are away from home.
If there was soon to be a major change in how electricity was received in Spain. Would you be so quick to condemn any electricians who posted.
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kevsboredagain
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Post by kevsboredagain »

Medoc Bob wrote:If there was soon to be a major change in how electricity was received in Spain. Would you be so quick to condemn any electricians who posted.
If they came and explained the changes I would be most grateful.

If they said prices are going up but if you use my company mycheapelectricity.com for a much better deal and kept plugging it, I'd be sure to give them the same hard time :P
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Post by CSE »

If there was soon to be a major change in how electricity was received in Spain. Would you be so quick to condemn any electricians who posted.
But there is not change to receiving UK TV, if you have a satellite dish. This is still free to view. With a VPN you are basically trying to talk users into breaking the law. It is obvious they do not want you to view the programmes over the interweb. They are making it harder and hard to do so.

Besides have you read rule 2?
No advertising please. Any posts that advertise a product or service with which you are associated may be removed. You may post clickable links if you are a known, active forum member, where appropriate to the topic, but not for self-promotion. If I (Paolo) think you are only posting to get some traffic to your site, I(Paolo) will delete your posts at my discretion.
Never try to out-stubborn your guests.
SW31
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Post by SW31 »

Our problem is we don't object to paying for it but we have problems getting a system to work thanks to our broadband. I can only watch programs that have been downloaded onto our computers or iPad early in the morning. This mostly restricts us to Iplayer. There's just enough strength in the evening to then replay it.
So far I've been unable to find an alternative so we can get a better choice of channels,
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