BT’s Broadband YouView TV Service Blocks Unauthorised STBs

Customers of BT’s YouView (IPTV) based broadband TV service can no longer access the ISPs premium content (e.g. the Discovery Channel, FOX, SyFy, MTV etc.) by using unauthorised set-top-boxes, such as those purchased from third party retailers.

At present BT TV already offers a multi-room style service called Extra Box, which automatically includes the same channel subscriptions and bolt-ons as the main box in the house. But this Extra Box service attracts a special 12-month subscription cost of £5 per month and on top of that you also need to pay another £99 (one-off) to help cover the cost of the additional STB hardware.

Prior to the ‘Extra Box’ launch (June 2014) customers could, albeit unofficially, setup a similar multiroom service by using a third party sourced STB device. But naturally BT’s new commercial add-on means they’re now incentivised to clamp down on those who got tired of waiting for the provider to offer an official solution (note: this only affects BT TV’s own premium content).

At the launch of Extra Box BT adjusted their T&C’s to read: “44. Except where you also subscribe to Extra Box, you must not access content provided on BT TV on more than one set top box on the same account.” Now seenit are reporting that BT has finally begun to enforce this restriction by blocking unauthorised devices (those not supplied by BT itself).