How is it actually legal

For a private company to charge you to use a BBC service that you have already paid for via your licence fee?

 

It's a good question, and needs answering. No problem with the standard of Adam's commentary, but at the end of the day I'm sat here listening to BBC Radio Sheffield that I pay for via the license fee, through my Barnsley Player account that I also pay for. It's not right. Simple as that.

 

You're looking at it the wrong way around. What you have described is perfectly legal. A private company can charge whatever they want for whatever they want (within reason, not drugs or guns and stuff) but I could charge you £100 for a glass of tap water if I wanted. I could charge you a grand to come round to my house and watch Eastenders.

What I can't believe is legal is that part of my licence fee is used to pay for football commentaries that I can't gain access to unless I pay a private company for a subscription service. In fact, it's not that I can't believe it's legal, I know it isn't. As far as Barnsley commentaries are concerned, it doesn't bother me, but my licence fee is also paying for commentaries for other football clubs that are only accessed via a subscription service from a private company. The BBC licence fee is to pay for BBC programmes broadcast via the BBC all of which I should have access to. It is most certainly not to be used for producing content that is only available via a subscription service from another company entirely.

 

2nd half kicked off five minutes ago, whilst we were listening to an update on Sheffield Steelers. It's ace.

 

Similarly winds me up when you buy sports tickets / concert tickets and they offer to post first class for £5. First class is nowhere near £5 (yet) and I thought it was illegal to re-sell Royal Mail postage (ie stamps).

 

You pay for the entire package, highlights etc.

In the same way you pay for sky. You get BBC on that too.

Can't see it being illegal as it isn't anything new.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

 

Don't you get yours in Mink lined envelopes like everyone else?

 

The answer is surely to not subscribe to 'Player'?

i.e. Vote with your feet.

 

Yes, but then I don't get to listen to the games or see the replays/highlights. Sat hear listening to Sheff Wed right now, I am tempted to sign up to another club's Player and just log into ours.

 

Jay nailed it in that it's the opposite way round.

If BBC one became a paid for channel on sky people would go nuts.

 

I found out we'd conceded three minutes before I heard the goal go in. I've switched it off. Useless service.

 

The BBC were granted a charter to charge for programs and they do so via a license fee. When ITV came along in the 60's they wanted to charge similar (via a subscription) but were forced down another route via the authorities and were told the could raise money via advertising only - the license method was exclusive to the BBC. Hence ITV became a commercial channel.

Fast forward 30 years and Sky seem to have free reign to use both methods - a subscription and vast advertising revenue.

Not right IMHO

 

OOH any Speedway news on there Whitey?:tongue:

 

Yes it is, it's very new. All the BBC content on Sky is also available on free to air channels. They don't have any exclusive BBC stuff. The BBC commentaries of Barnsley football games, when not broadcast on the radio like today, are only available via a paid subscription service to a private company, they are exclusive to these subscription channels and you can't do that with content paid for via the licence fee. It's illegal.

 

It's a football thing. Radio Sheffield can be listened to for free on the Internet but football is not allowed.

 

The only ones to blame in all this are BARNSLEY FC....Probably penny pinching again.

 

Still not sure why exactly the BBC would be giving them their commentary for free

 

I disagree. I don't think they've done anything wrong. I understand a lot of people liked the commentary we used to get, me too, but if BFC got a better offer financially from Radio Sheffield then, as a business, they were probably right to take it (I do realise there's more to it than that and I have every sympathy with the Barnsley World lads). I also like Radio Sheffield's commentary as it goes, but the BBC aren't allowed to broadcast their content exclusively on paid for channels belonging to other companies that is not accessible to regular licence fee holders. It goes against everything the BBC is about.

 

Maybe its a form of free advertising for radio sheffield and BFC need to do nothing..hence penny pinching...I could be wrong....again!