Xbox 360 iPlayer launch delayed indefinitely

Xbox 360 owners will have to keep waiting for the iPlayer to launch on the platform as talks between parent companies, Microsoft and the BBC, hit a "stumbling block".

According to sources close to the BBC's Future Media and Technology department, a deal between the two parties has still been unable to be reached because Microsoft's strategy of charging for all content on its Xbox Live platform is incompatible with the BBC's public service remit.

[Mc Fadge]

This ONE time :/

[green]

This is major fail on Microsoft's part.If they want iplayer so much on the 360 then they have to agree to BBC terms.It should be free for both silver and gold members.Just make it that the partymode that is available on netflix and skyplayer is disabled for silver members but enabled for gold members.Then give gold members some extra perks like a better or more customizable interface.Apart from that, iplayer should be free.

[Noctis Aftermath]

why should they make an exception? it should be available for silver members and not restricted to gold members.

[blackpanther25]

that would actually work pretty well......and everybody wins at the end

[Zack Sawyer]

Microsoft really need to get their act together, they should stop using services that should be free to justify paying a subscription fee for Xbox Live.

If iPlayer, Facebook and Twitter are free on everything else including the competitions console what makes Microsoft think they can be a special exception to the rules and make money from them. I say good on the BBC for standing their ground for a change.

Ah well, I shall just have to continue using my PS3 and PC then to watch missed Friday Night with Johnathon Ross and Top Gear.

[Why o why]

fair comment.

seems ms likes to add free services and dress them up as perks for the paying customer and we ALL know things like this, facebook, last fm should have NO restriction....its BS

@Zack above

SNAP

and yeah, last night i watched FNwJR with J clarkson on it ironically...both funny guys. Its a free service not a perk

[cRaZyLeGs 93]

iplayer is uk only anyway.

[Noctis Aftermath]

i can get 'Iview' on my ps3, it offers the ABC(Australian not American) instead of BBC.

[HardcoreGamer]

MS COULDNT EVEN COME TO AN AGREEMENT WITH EPIC GAMES ON THE FREE MAPS AND MAP MAKER PC TO CONSOLE CROSSOVER.

sorr im not callin you crazy for real but i have a feelin they not gonna agree

[Zack Sawyer]

Yeah it was probably the best line-up I have ever seen on the show. The coolness of both Jezza & Laurence Fishburne, the always comical Peter Kay and then topped off with two of the best tracks from the new album by Muse. All of that with one of the best British hosts means guaranteed good viewing.

Its just so easy to come home from the pub, boot up iPlayer up on my PS3 and catch up on what I missed.

[riksweeney]

@cRaZyLeGs 93

What's your point?

[gaffyh]

SO MS want to charge for a free service yet again?! WTF! We already have to pay a TV License for BBC channels, it would be stupid for the BBC to offer this service as part of a subscription to XBL.

XBL users need to f***ing complain, they let MS get away with too many things, and now MS has started charging you for MORE things that should be free. You won't see PSN users saying, "oh that's awesome, please charge us for twitter and facebook," but stupid brainwashed Xbox fanboys just bend over and take it.

Sorry for the rant, this type of thing really pisses me off.

[raztad]

@riks

I think the point of crazyl3gs is this: as BBC is UK only it doesnt matter for the rest of us. However he is overlooking that:

1) UK has a massive xbox fanbase, second only to USA's

2) What MS is trying to pull out is just wrong.

[silvacrest]

how would microsoft even justify charging for bbc iplayer? it availible for FREE EVERYWHERE ELSE

for me, this is why M$ will never be a console leader, they dont no when to do the right thing

[Godmars290]

Don't think MS argument is that its free, but that MS would be offering it under Gold subscription umbrella.

[IdleLeeSiuLung]

Maybe there is a work around, but in the meanwhile there is always the PC, PS3 or Wii if you want this!

[GVON]

jesus it's only a link to a web page,why would the charge for that.

[Eamon]

Microsoft's qualities exposed once again.

Edit: What I don't get is why MS would want to charge for it when Sony is already making it free on PS3? I mean, what extra features apart from Party mode would 360 offer than the iPlayer on PS3?

[vhero]

More proof MS are trying to charge for stuff you can get free elsewhere. It's just wrong and all you 360 owners have to stop paying for gold the sooner you do the sooner they start making it free.

[Mc Fadge]

I was talking about Microsoft, sorry for the confusion :P

[topgeareasy]

flops again

[raztad]

I cant say I'm surprised but this is just WOW!

"Microsoft only wants to offer its users access to platforms it can charge for as this is the model it is pursuing. It wants to ensure that only those paying for Xbox Live Gold accounts can access its additional content services and even then there is usually a charge on top to get access to those. For example, to access the Sky Player on Xbox, you have to pay for a Gold subscription as well as a Sky subscription,” explained one of the sources close to the BBC."

Charging for FREE services elsewhere, is the same they did with Facebook/twitter/Last.FM

Of course the above makes sense. MS only wants iBBC to join Facebook as a paid service, something they can advertise as a more valued Gold membership and lure silver members in. Things arent going so smooth because BBC is a PUBLIC SERVICE and non-profit organization and what MS is proposing is against the very principles of the BBC.

[silvacrest]

the BBC get plenty of money from the TV licence fees most of the UK pays but your point is still valid

[jumpinjonny]

well the bbc isnt a public service, the bbc is the reason we have to pay a tv licensed and is most defiantly a profit organization, saying that that is more reason for it to be free on the xbox because we already pay for it.

[n4gn4gn4gn4g]

It is a PUBLIC SERVICE broadcaster, established by a Royal Charter and funded by the licence fee that is paid by UK households.
See Royal Charter and Agreement, The licence fee.

/Capitalization is mine btw.

Linky: http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/p...

[raztad]

Well to be honest I dont live in UK nor I care that much about the BBC, but as a general rule funding for public service needs to come from somewhere, that's why taxes exist, so I'm guessing this TV license fee is just a tax. Otherwise BBC would need to go the subscription based route.

Probably you are confusing PUBLIC SERVICE with FREE SERVICE. In this case BBC is already payed by UK citizens beforehand, this makes MS proposal even more scandalous.

[silvacrest]

its not really a tax since if you dont have a TV (yeah i no, who doesn't have a TV?) you dont pay, while you pay taxes no matter what

[PirateThom]

It's a "TV ownership tax", if anything. It's solely used to pay for BBC programming (which is questionable in it's value). You do get some nice, neich programmes out of it (currently watching A History of Christianity).

[GameOn]

Well you can actually own a TV and not need a TV license. It depends on whether you watch broadcast tv or just use it for games and videos.

[devilhunterx]

Damn M$! Even your biggest x-fan says "This is major fail on Microsoft's part".

[riksweeney]

So glad I own a PS3 now :)

[-x.Red.x-]

since when MS was reliable?

[Confused]

M$ strikes again. I wonder what other free services they plan to charge us for?

[TheTeam06]

They can't put on Sony's old arrogant attitude, especially when they haven't reached success with a console like Sony & Nintendo has. If you want more people to be attracted to your console, you have to make a compromise.

You guys are supposed to make good news, not this! This time of the year is much too crucial, especially now, to take risks like charge for a normally free service. Take a step back, look this over, and try again.

[Godmars290]

Does it really matter since no ones buying a 360 just so they can then get a Gold account *then* subscribe to Sky-one? This in addition to TV taxes.

Never mind the whole 1EU=$2US though you still pay 50EU for XBL.

[Godmars290]

I realize its still a subscription service, but can't anyone with a 360 in the UK use it?

Hearing this only makes me think that my theory was right. That there was snag that would have held up the release of Sky to only Gold accounts, and the only quick fix was to make it accessible to all on XBL.

[Raoh]

from what i understand the silver account offers nothing

no online gaming
no video chat
limited voice chat
no sky player
no netflix
no twitter
no facebook
limited last.fm
no browser

silver is just:
your gametag
gamer score
2 person voice chat
text chat

[Risky_24]

@ Raoh
You are correct in my opinion. Silver membership is basically having a gamer tag and access to the store but you get none of the extras.

@ Godmars290
To my knowledge Sky player is not free. It is available to anyone with a Sky subscription and content is dependent on the relevant package. To view Sky on any other box u need a multi-room subscription which costs an extra £10. You are able to view Sky player on your pc as well but you need to have a subscription.

[Raoh]

it's a double edged sword for microsoft..

if they stick to their guns.. they lose out on BBC partnership

if they bend and allow it to silver members.. microsfts current partners will demand they be a part of the silver package as well to get their services in as many hands as possible. which then negates micrsofts justification that their users are paying for an premium service that cant be offered any other way than to pay for it.

[JD_Shadow]

This is the same reason MS isn't getting FF14 right now. They HAVE to restrict things for the "elite" crowd (the 50/year crowd). Thing is, while it is a good strategy on THEIR part (get more money for yourself), it does nothing for the person that is offering MS the app, and MS is as stubborn as ever.

Note to MS: you can give Silver SOMETHING else other than Marketplace access. This is WHY you're seeing PSN catching up so fast to XBL. This damn fee is killing you, and you won't budge it for ANYTHING!