Confusion as BT and EE TV Remove Original BBC Recording Feature UPDATE
Customers of UK broadband ISP BT and EE, specifically those who also take their internet-connected pay TV service and use the Pro Box in ‘Internet Mode‘ (i.e. streaming live channels rather than using an aerial), will find that they face new limitations on their ability to record and re-watch BBC content from 21st 27th August 2024.
Until now those with ‘Internet Mode’ enabled on the related set-top-box could still record TV content directly to local storage on their Pro Box from the streamed BBC channels, much like you can when watching via a regular aerial connection. This was then available to replay at your leisure, which made it quite handy.
However, Cord Busters and various posters on the operator(s) official community forums (e.g. here and here) have picked up on a recent customer notification, which signals a significant change in this approach. Not that you’d know it from a quick glance.
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Extract from EE’s Customer Email
As you’re watching EE TV in Internet Mode (without an aerial), the way you watch your BBC recordings will change.
From 21st August, your BBC recordings will launch through the BBC iPlayer app. There’s no change to how you’ll record a programme, or where it will be stored.
Put another way, the recordings may oddly still be stored on the box, but your access to record and re-watch related content is going to be limited by iPlayer’s policies. For example, much of iPlayer’s content is only made available for 30 days after broadcast (sometimes longer, sometimes shorter) and downloaded programmes are generally available for the same amount of time. But not everything gets added to iPlayer and content does expire, which will also impact your recordings (i.e. you won’t be able to watch what isn’t available).
The move echoes what we saw last year when a similar change was introduced for streamed ITV content. No doubt some customers will now revert to using ‘Broadcast Mode‘ (i.e. using their aerial to watch and record TV channels instead of streaming them), although it’s worth remembering that terrestrial TV transmissions are often said to be on the slow path to retirement by around 2030 (here).
UPDATE 20th Aug 2024 @ 1:41pm
EE has informed us that the date for this change is actually now 27th August, and they’ve added another statement.
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An EE Spokesperson told ISPreview:
“The way we watch TV is evolving, and EE TV is evolving with it. That’s why our TV Box Pro features Internet Mode, which enables customers to watch their favourite shows without needing an aerial installed.
Our TV channel partners (like the BBC) are adapting with this change and exploring new ways to give customers the best possible viewing experience when watching over the Internet.
As a part of this evolution, the BBC has asked TV providers for any future BBC programmes that are recorded to now play through BBC iPlayer. This will make sure that when our customers playback the content they watch it in the highest quality, pick up where they left off if watching on additional devices, get the most informed content recommendations and have the best overall experience when in Internet Mode.”
We suspect some customers may disagree with this being the “best overall experience“, but it’s clearly a change being imposed by the BBC.
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.
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This is known as Enshittification
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enshittification
Indeed. Seems to be everywhere you look these days. Especially in the media industry (who, to be fair fair, have always been the epitome of greed)
I assume this is something the BBC insisted on – similar to how they require you to sign in to iPlayer or Sounds for live TV and radio, even though it’s actually delivered over BT’s multicast platform. Some exec is no doubt obsessed with amassing all that usage data.
And they’re not the only one as ITV insists on ITVX sign-in for its live channels. I’m surprised Ofcom permits this “freewall” for the public service broadcasts.
Is this also the case for Sky Stream? Or did they have better negotiators?
Sky Stream has no facilities for local recording anyway, there is no hard drive in the Sky Stream Puck or the Sky Glass TV when you “record” something on these it just bookmarks it to retrieve from Sky’s servers. The days of having your own media are on their way out.
I think this is for TV license purposes as they can monitor the traffic by the ip address and the goefencing and to make sure that you got a licence. What a load of toss. I’d prefer to pay Kim Yong ung rather bbc..
They can’t tie an IP address to a particular postal address without a court order.
yep. people like to assume that TV Licencing is this ruthlessly efficient machine, but they don’t have or need some real time access to the ISP’s IP assignment records.
the BBC hasn’t even taken the most obvious path by linking iplayer logins to the TV Licence database. no court orders needed, at least unless there’s obvious abuse
(despite the branding and outsourcing of day to day tasks to Capita, the BBC actually is the TV licencing authority, so they already own the licence database)
Geo location ip address (so if your outside the UK it won’t stream)
They have linked iPlayer login and TV licence details via email. I had a letter stating that I’d been watching iPlayer content without a licence. I was guilty of watching without a licence. Just had to go through the whole don’t need a licence but again to stop future letters.
Changed my iPlayer to a one not registered not had a letter since.
Trying to link iplayer login to emails is doomed to failure because the license fee is for a household and an email address is individual. Partners and children of the license fee payer will all have different email address but only one of the adults will have an email address tied to the license as they paid for it.
@Murray Clutchburn ahhh so you’re just a thief then.
I kind of get people arguing they shouldn’t pay for a license when they “don’t watch the BBC” (well not really as I guarantee the vast majority of them do use BBC services at some point). But here you are, saying “oh no I was watching the BBC” and then still not paying the fee anyway. The stating you’d deliberatly registered under another email to avoid it. You’re a thief.
Too many entitled feeling people around now. Wanting something for nothing, but would be the first to complain if they did hard work and didn’t get rewarded.
So many people claim to not watch BBC content, but they actually do. The BBC’s reach is still enormous and is larger than ALL of the streaming platforms put together per week.
Ultimately, the BBC will have to call people’s bluff and go behind a paywall at some point. There are a few people who maybe don’t use BBC, but not the numbers fuelled by certain papers on how to not pay license fee. People from the left and right complain about News Bias (which cancels each others claims out) and the government set targets for Diversity and Inclusion to all terrestrial broadcasters by Ofcom/policy. The BBC isn’t just the news part though, it’s funding affects drama and everything else. No fear, the people that pretend they don’t consume any content, online or broadcast, will end up not being able to unless they pay, but a number of services like regional news and others would have to be dropped to fit that model, unless the government part funded the content like Public Service and news that would not generate income. Certain countries would love to see the end of BBC and I wouldn’t be surprised if the stirring up of every slightest “news” story against it is whipped by a misinformation unit somewhere feeding certain groups. The amount of stories in certain online news feeds for major papers like “xxxx storms off set” when it was a staged joke, or headlines against the BBC when in actual fact an ex-employee who left years and years ago and has worked for other broadcasters since. It’s published because the same old group of people post anti license fee statements time and time again, mainly because they want it free.
It’s why I stick to a good old fashioned PVR recording via the aerial. Can skip ads as well with ease and they aren’t collecting data to what I’m watching.
If I was that desperate to record and watch broadcast TV then I would use a TV with built in Freesat and a SSD attached storage.
The big corps will only let you watch on their terms. IP TV is fast becoming broadcast TV without the benefits but all of the pitfalls. That is why I collect Physical Media. I own the content and have the ability to create my own TV service by building my own home server using Plex, Jellyfin ect should I wish to have instant digital access to my collection. No Internet connection required and no adverts to sit through.
I now have over 1000 Movies and TV shows on my shelf and no longer worry about finding something to watch. Not only that, I don’t have endless monthly subscriptions costing £100’s just to watch the odd Movie or Show. I just wait for a disk release or I just skip it.
I sympathise but issuing films or TV series on physical media is going to become increasingly rare, just like getting music on 78s.
There’s also the situation of a library tied to a provider become non existent (Funimation most recently).
The problem also exists for digital copies of video games that you are effectively purchasing on a long term lease, as opposed to buying outright when you get the physical disk.
It’s all so the big fat cats make more money! Stupid today!
End-stage Neo-liberalism, which, of course is, in itself, end-stage Capitalism.
Ahhh ! . . . . Mr Geldoff’s concept . . . . “Just give us the fooking money”
How many times has that been heard coming down the conference link from a board-room in the land of the obssessed with owning everything (“Free ?”)
When I record Strictly I want to fast forward through the screaming/some of the judge’s comments etc but replay through the app is too fast!
Absolutely unacceptable service, hopefully everyone will complain and make it actually useable…
We shall leave ee and go back to Sky – outrageous imposition!
Complain folks!