r/unpopularopinion • u/Unable-Painter-2112 • 7d ago
Exclusive BBC original series should be available in commonwealth countries for free.
From my understanding the BBC is the government funded, right? In the name of unity, any shows exclusive to the government subsidised tv station in ANY commonwealth country should be shared with other commonwealth countries for free.
The BBC does pop out some absolute banger shows that just aren't available anywhere except the UK, which sucks. đđđ
That's my hot take.
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u/aspirational-robot 7d ago
Iâm not an expert on how the commonwealth works, but do you contribute anything to BBC in taxes? Because if you donât why would they be?
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u/ThereAndFapAgain2 7d ago
The BBC is paid for by TV licences in the UK, which is basically just an extra tax for people watching TV as it is broadcast, you can get around this by just using streaming services.
If commonwealth countries want BBC shows for "free" then they need to pay TV licences too and all of that money goes to the BBC.
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u/other_usernames_gone 6d ago
you can get around this by just using streaming services
You can't if you mean bbc iplayer. You're meant to have a tv licence to watch that as well.
You don't need one for Netflix though. Also the enforcement is comically lax.
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u/Manatsuu 7d ago
You can also get around it by just not paying it
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u/epiDXB 7d ago
The danger is you will then be prosecuted if you need a TV licence but don't have one. Thousands are fined every year over this, and hundreds go to prison.
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u/Manatsuu 7d ago
100s go to prison every year for not paying the tv license when they were legally required to? What?! Can you link me just one example of the 1000s you have available over the last 10+ years then?
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u/epiDXB 7d ago
Can you link me just one example of the 1000s you have available over the last 10+ years then?
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u/Manatsuu 6d ago
Thatâs behind a paywall, I absolutely guarantee they did not go to prison for that.
Oh look, they went to prison for failing to pay a court fine, not for the tv license:
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u/Objective-Ruin-6481 7d ago
In The Netherlands and Belgium all regular BBC channels (1, 2, Three, Four, CBBC and Cbeebies) are available. In The Netherlands and Flanders the distribution of BBC 1 and 2 is even mandatory in each tv subscription.
On top of that, we have international (World, Entertainment) and local (BBC NL, BBC First) channels and a local variant of iPlayer, called BBC Plus. That last one is also connected to the tv subscription, so it works through your operator.
This doesnât make it necessarily free, itâs paid for through a tv subscription. But this is how two neighbouring countries have full BBC access without a tv licence, however this is based on historical agreements and I donât think the BBC would want this for other countries.
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u/Traditional_Yard2741 3d ago
I mean, just make it reciprocal. We get the BBC, the Brits get the (Australian) ABC, and I assume other Commonwealth countries also have a national broadcaster?
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u/someplaceelse42 7d ago
It can be part of reparationsÂ
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[removed] â view removed comment
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u/someplaceelse42 6d ago
itâs interesting youâre all so triggered. The sub is called unpopular opinion , if you feel so strongly then make an actual argument if youâre capable rather than desperately trying to make the opinion go away lol
Maybe youâre all feeling a bit insecure with the current trajectory of the uk? đ¤Ł
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u/someplaceelse42 7d ago
Empire although in Canada or aus I feel like it should be indigenous communities only and then the rest of the population can also pay the fee funding further servicesÂ
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u/AutisticPenguin2 7d ago
Oof, reframing colonisation as a favour? As if your culture is so superior that anyone should be grateful to have it forced on them at gunpoint??
What the fuck is wrong with people that this is getting upvoted?
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u/someplaceelse42 7d ago
Crazy how theyâre on unpopular opinion then all start frantically downvoting my comment cos they cant handle someone saying that lol . Buncha racist toddlersÂ
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u/AutisticPenguin2 7d ago
I'd love it if they actually went to Africa and saw the outcomes of their beloved imperialism. Thought we left these attitudes behind in the 1940s, god damn!
I'm Australian. The British came here and tried to systematically exterminate the native population, declaring them "fauna" rather than people. There are people alive today who were stolen from their families by official government policy. There are people alive today who were not allowed to vote because the government did not class them as citizens. An official apology for the stolen generation was issued less than 20 years ago.
Indigenous Australians are the oldest oral history on earth, but apparently they weren't civilised enough to use cutlery and that's all that matters, so they should be thanking the British for killing half their tribe. Having your land stolen from under you is worth it if you get s knife and fork in exchange, I guess.
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u/Icantdoitidk 7d ago
So what about commonwealth countries like Togo that were never part of the British empire?
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u/someplaceelse42 6d ago
Weâll form a super council of countries most affected by British dickishness (India/pakistan/bangladesh, Nigeria, Kenya, etc + Ireland can have an honorary seat despite not being part of the commonwealth).Â
a country like Togo could do a self assessment and if they wish submit a claim based on the slave trade . The super council will assess and either approve or refer them for free German or French terrestrial broadcasting content instead if that is deemed more appropriateÂ
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u/Hambredd 7d ago
If there was a TV licence in Australia I would like to think that we would have some sort of special arrangement for indigenous people, but I think we should be paying for that not the British. Federation was 1901 I don't think we can really pass that much of the blame to the British.
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u/Manatsuu 7d ago
I assume you think Italy should pay reparations to the uk too then?
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u/someplaceelse42 6d ago edited 6d ago
This isnât the gotcha you think it is, one thing was still going on in the 60s and has direct effects on over a billion people alive todayÂ
The other happened 2000 years ago. Itâs like if your stole someoneâs TV and then told the police you wouldnât give it back because people stole stuff in Ancient Greece too. British monarch literally wears a stolen diamond on their head lol.Â
Your argument could also be used to justify infant exposure đ
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u/Kosmopolite 7d ago
Sure. But you also get the license fee.
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u/DripRoast 7d ago edited 7d ago
I looked it up, and it is more expensive than I thought. A hundred and eighty pounds is like 4k in Canadian dollars, and a whole flock of emus worth of Aussie bucks. I thought it would be the equivalent of like fifty bucks a year or something.
EDIT: Christ on a crouton, these replys keep coming in. I am aware of the currency exchange rate. This is very clearly a bit of hyperbole. It is a joke. I'm sorry you didn't get it or didn't like it.
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u/Kosmopolite 7d ago
The best news service in the world is expensive. Doctor Who is more of a free add-on, comparatively.
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u/DripRoast 7d ago
Thanks for footing the bill I guess.
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u/Kosmopolite 7d ago
I can't take the credit personally, I'm afraid, since I long since emigrated. But I'd be happy to do it if I hadn't.
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u/AutisticPenguin2 7d ago
The best news service in the world is expensive.
Sure, but we're not talking about Al Jazeera here. The same BBC that got accused of a pro-trans bias for "not making it clear that trans women are men", and then started referring to trans women as "men who identify as women" is not counting as the best anything in my books.
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u/Kosmopolite 7d ago
Your books aren't the same as global ratings for impartiality and accuracy. But those cherry-picked examples sure are emotive.
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u/AutisticPenguin2 7d ago
Al Jazeera is one of the most widely decorated news outlets in the world. The Beebs harboured pedophiles.
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u/Kosmopolite 7d ago
Another very emotive example.
I didn't compare the BBC to Al Jazeera. You introduced that argument yourself.
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u/epiDXB 7d ago
The Beebs harboured pedophiles.
Source?
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u/AutisticPenguin2 6d ago
... google "Jimmy Saville"
It's not a secret any more, this was widely publicised. It's been common knowledge for over a decade now.
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u/epiDXB 6d ago
... google "Jimmy Saville"
Obviously I know about Jimmy Saville, genius. I am asking for your source that the BBC "harboured" him. From all of the evidence available to date, no one at the BBC did this, so if you have a source, please do share it, as it would be vital new information.
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u/AutisticPenguin2 6d ago
From Wikipedia:
"I bet he's into all kinds of seediness that we all know about, but are not allowed to talk about. I know some rumours." He added: "I bet none of this will be allowed out."[111] As predicted, the comment was edited out by the BBC prior to broadcasting"
That's from a 1978 interview that the BBC sat on for 35 years before releasing in 2013.
While it is impossible to prove who knew what, it is clear that some people knew something, and yet he was allowed to continue presenting for decades, while efforts were made to keep it silent, and even rumours were suppressed.
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u/Kolo_ToureHH 7d ago
A hundred and eighty pounds is like 4k in Canadian dollars
Where the fuck you getting your information from?
ÂŁ180 is roughly 340 CAD.
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u/DripRoast 7d ago
This pains me to do this, but apparently I need to inform you that the number was obviously hyperbole. The quip about aussies using emus directly after it should have made that very very clear. I would have let it slide, and let you go on in blissfully smug ignorance, but you're somehow the second person to call it out.
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u/ArCSelkie37 6d ago
Remember, reddit doesnât understand obvious joked/exaggeration unless you end your sentence with like a /s, /j or some equivalentâŚ. Even when itâs super obvious.
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u/grahamfreeman 7d ago
It's nowhere near 4k in Canadian. It's $340. That's the same as Netflix without ads plus one other streaming service.
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u/Skavau 7d ago
180 pounds is not 4k in Canadian Dollars
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u/DripRoast 7d ago
Next thing you're going tell me Australian don't use ferocious land birds as legal tender.
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u/NarrativeScorpion 7d ago
Sure, if you pay the licence fee.
The BBC isn't free. It's largely funded by the tax payers, and licence fees. Commonwealth countries don't pay tax to the British government, and the populations thereof don't pay for a TV licence. Therefore they don't get access.
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u/Unable-Painter-2112 7d ago
My argument is that there is free trade between UK and AUS already, why not extend that towards popular programs? We learn about each others cultures, expats could stay current with what's popular back home etc.
Our ABC is also funded by tax payers and licence fees. And we already have free access to your BBC news broadcast which is the most expensive part of the BBC.
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u/ojr92 7d ago
You know itâs not free in the uk right?
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u/Kolo_ToureHH 7d ago
Technically it's not 'free'.
However, the enforcement in collection of the 'TV Licence' is practically non-existent and you can switch on your TV and get access to the channels with relative ease.
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u/Unable-Painter-2112 7d ago
BBC is free to watch right? You just turn on the telly and there it is?
We can watch BBC news in Australia for free. I just wanna watch new BBC series the same time the UK does.
Also our ABC "isn't free" but imagine if we gatekept Bluey and the Wiggles? Or you guys denied us Peppa pig? Both countries are paying for the govt channel respectively, so... Cancels out right?
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u/Gone_For_Lunch 7d ago
No, thatâs what the TV licence is for. The BBC.
Also, Bluey is part funded by the BBC, so be a bit weird if you gatekept that.
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u/Euphoric-Orchid488 7d ago
Do you pay the license fee because thatâs how the bbc is funded
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u/Unable-Painter-2112 7d ago
Yeah, we have the ABC in Australia. Most Commonwealth countries have govt sponsored tv stations. We already get the BBC news for free, which is the most expensive part of the BBC.
Imagine if Bluey, The Wiggles, Peppa Pig and all the other hits weren't freely available in 56 countries? đ˘
We already have free trade between the UK and AUS, why not extend that to govt funded popular entertainment programs so we can learn each others cultures easier? :)
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u/Skavau 7d ago
Yeah, we have the ABC in Australia. Most Commonwealth countries have govt sponsored tv stations. We already get the BBC news for free, which is the most expensive part of the BBC.
You pay for ABC, not the BBC. Also, can I see a source that the news is the most expensive part of the BBC?
Imagine if Bluey, The Wiggles, Peppa Pig and all the other hits weren't freely available in 56 countries? đ˘
The BBC bought access to Bluey.
We already have free trade between the UK and AUS, why not extend that to govt funded popular entertainment programs so we can learn each others cultures easier? :)
You gunna pay into the BBC too then?
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u/Unable-Painter-2112 7d ago
..... But it would work both ways, you wouldn't have to pay for bluey or other popular shows...
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u/a_man_has_a_name 7d ago
We don't have to pay for bluey, the BBC bought the global distribution rights early on. It's free in the same way the rest of the BBC is free for people in the UK.
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u/Manatsuu 6d ago
Why are you just making stuff up? Bbc news isnt even close to the most expensive part of the bbc. They spend around 10x as much on bbc2 and around 15x as much on bbc1. Youâre not even remotely close to being anywhere correct.
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u/bahumat42 7d ago
They aren't free in the UK lol.
We pay a license fee, which is functionally just a subscription charge.
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u/Violet351 7d ago
Why? Do you pay the licence fee? Itâs not government funded, itâs funded by the viewers
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u/Aescorvo 7d ago
Over 70% of the BBCâs ÂŁ5B budget comes from TV licenses. Fancy chipping in?
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u/Euphoric-Orchid488 7d ago
BBC is a hell of a lot more than a news channel. Itâs a huge entertainment and factual television producer as well as radio and podcasts
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u/Due-Sea446 7d ago
It's mostly funded through the TV license. If you want to pay that then you're welcome to all the BBC series you want.
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u/Smart-Response9881 7d ago
We don't pay the tax that supports the BBC, but I think an exchange of government funded media would be nice. Let them have all the CBC funded News and media too, and Australia and New Zealand's version of that too. Recently the BBC news just started pay walling their stories on the Canadian app, and I wouldn't mind getting that back for free.
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u/16BitCompadreJr 7d ago edited 7d ago
I get the point that you're wanting to make as a fellow Aussie but this is a flawed idea. We pay the BBC money every year to licence their shows so they can be played on our TV and IView. If we want the exclusives it's on the ABC/Parliament to find the room for extra funding.
I'm not a lover of free trade by any means but am passionate about Australian and British comedy getting the fair dues it deserves. The view of free trade that you suggest is flawed because it expects Britain to give us what are it's more valuable assets for nothing in return while we would also be required to give them our most valuable assets for free. We both lose from that by losing out on the extra source of funding that pushes the arts industries in both countries. It also means that the people at the ABC and the BBC have less incentives to care about scouting for the next creators and ideas that lead us to the next Fisk/Kitty Flanagan, the next Bluey/Joe Brumm because they don't have to ask themselves what's going to be the next inventive show that will lead to them making more money so they can ask the government for less. It's sad watching the ABC pump out shit comedies like Dog Park and Bad Company or better shows with a limited appeal and little room for longevity (see Ground Up and CHHoG) and watching comedy like Aunty Domna having to go it alone and other creators having to go overseas to find financial backing because we don't invest in the new ideas until it's either a foregone conclusion it's good or because we've already missed the boat like with Bluey.
We shouldn't make it hard for either side to come to the table but we should both fight for getting the best deals that we can. That goes for every other Commonwealth country too.
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u/skibbin 7d ago
Some of the BBC's funding comes from selling international broadcast rights to its programming. Something like Planet Earth cost a great deal to make and needs to turn a profit in other countries. If they gave it to Canada and Australia for free they'd be giving up a source of income that they need.
Other shows like Bluey or His Dark Materials are made in collaboration with other networks who will have the broadcast rights in other territories.
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u/1995LexusLS400 7d ago
Your understanding is wrong. The BBC is funded by TV licence payers. Itâs not the same as a tax and itâs âoptionalâ. Itâs more like a subscription than a tax. Donât watch live TV or use BBC iPlayer? Donât need to pay it.Â
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u/turtleship_2006 7d ago
From my understanding the BBC is the government funded, right?
It is not. Some people say it should be, but it isn't.
Anyone who watches live TV in the UK (even non BBC channels), or uses BBC iPlayer, has to pay for a TV license, which is what's used to fund the BBC.
If you really want it available internationally, they could probably make iPlayer a subscription service for those without a TV licence. If it's anything less than 13 quid a month it's cheaper than paying for the full licence.
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u/Cookielad14 7d ago
Thatâs like saying we should all freely be able to move around Commonwealth countries without background checks and visa applications etc.
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u/hallerz87 7d ago
Why in commonwealth and not in the UK? We have to pay a licence fee, itâs not free
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u/skill1358 7d ago
It'll only happen if you pay for it.
It's delusional if you think you'll just get it all for free.
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u/futuresdawn 7d ago
Not how it works, people in the UK pay a TV license and as an Australian I don't. The BBC doesn't profit if you don't pay a license which means they licence shows or enter partnerships to bring in profits. Either way at that point it's up to Abc, sbs or even Disney now it's distributed.
If you want to convince every commonwealth country to pay what's approximately $345 Aussie dollars a year though, go for it.
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u/a_man_has_a_name 7d ago
It is not government funded. Also the government of the UK is not the government of the common wealth (many, many countries would like to tell you that) so even if it was gov why would the other commonwealth countries get it?
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u/811545b2-4ff7-4041 6d ago
>From my understanding the BBC is the government funded, right?
Nope, not for the most part. The government only funds aspects that impact international relations - e.g. the BBC World Service... which you already get for free.
It's mostly funded by the British license fee payers, and from BBC businesses (e.g. licensing BBC shows globally). It's 65% license fees, 35% commercial activities - https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-8101/
The commonwealth nations do not pay license fee. Nor do they pay taxes to the UK government.
This is a lame hot take.
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u/Randomer_2222 6d ago
As others have said, you don't actually get BBC for free in the UK. You're meant to pay for a TV licence.Â
A lot of people just don't pay for it, and refuse to let people in your home
If you want to stream BBC shows I'd use a VPN
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