BBC is Getting a Paywall.

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Submitted ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨Pro@programming.dev⁩ to ⁨technology@lemmy.world⁩

https://www.niemanlab.org/2025/06/the-bbc-is-introducing-a-paywall-in-the-u-s/

Time to Unfollow them, I guess.

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SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Gotta get that TV loicense.

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- PhobosAnomaly@feddit.uk ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  I suppose the TV licence in the UK is a sort of paywall, even if it is made of swiss cheese and enforced by folk with all the legal standing of Larry the Head Mouser or whatever moggy it is now.
  
  I pay it, but I’m loathed to now. Not because I watch any live TV or BBC programming, but because I use the BBC News site a metric fucktonne and I suppose I justify it to myself as funding the BBC News department rather than Graham Norton’s salary.
  
  Maybe I’ll fuck it off though. I do fancy a letter war with Capita or whoever managed the enforcement these days.
  
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whatevercomeon@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
The UK obviously is no longer a superpower. But the BBC is the cornerstone of the UKs modern global soft power projection. Broadcasting it free projects the UK government’s voice around the world directly into homes, influencing world policy to their liking.

Putting a paywall in the US sends a message that they feel it is not needed or not effective in the US market.

It also mirrors what paid sport broadcasting in the UK has done. Paywall it for short term gain, at the expense of long term viewership growth. The UK is struggling.

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- raltoid@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  
  Paywall it for short term gain, at the expense of long term viewership growth.
  
  Making a company worse for short term revenue, at the cost of customer retention, product quality, etc. causing increased turnover which further compounds all the other issues. Is a common issue among all modern companies.
  
  In short, there was a shift in MBA education a while back that includes a bunch of lies-by-omission and misrepresented data. Meaning that the only think on their mind when they graduate, is to please investors at any all costs, including the company longevity.
  
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some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Given that I’m stateside, this makes me sad. But given that they are funded by UK taxpayers, this is probably the right move.

Of course, that’s just one less outlet for USA citizens to get accurate journalism (better than here, anyway) about what’s happening in our country. Hope Al Jazeera doesn’t follow suit.

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- Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Although, you could also argue that those taxes pay for informing and influencing citizens of foreign nations.
  
  America’s media ecosystem is dominated by Fox, Sinclair, and other state party media players. There is a strategic benefit to having a media outlet that doesn’t run through the state media filter.
  
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  - SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    This is a very important point. There is a reason there is a “cultural victory” in the Civilization games and the UK is definitely ceding cultural influence with this move.
    
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NameTaken@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
It seems just for people in the US. So hopefully the rest of us will be fine.

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- NotSteve_@lemmy.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  I love the US defaultism even when they’re talking about another country’s public news station
  
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  - 9point6@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    It does actually seem like it’s only the US for now
    
    Unless I’ve misunderstood your comment
    
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  - AwesomeLowlander@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    What’s defaultism here?
    
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- BeBopaLula@piefed.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Would not be surprised if it was not Thiel and gang ensuring only the billionaires newspapers are read by all us plebes by paying BBC to go paywall.
  
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alexc@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
And just at a time when the US really needs a decent news service…

I am sure this was discussed at the Starmer - Trump talks as a way to further isolate Americans from the truth.

I guess it’s just Al-Jazeera now…

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- tormeh@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Exactly this. Isn’t the point of the BBC world service to communicate/propagandise the British view of what’s happening in the world to other countries? Imagine Russia Today adding a paywall? It’s counter to the entire point! I think you may be on to something about this being a concession to Trump.
  
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  - alexc@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    Actually, the World Service will remain accessible, but that’s also not where most people go these days.
    
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- KumaSudosa@feddit.dk ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  I’m (relatively) happy with Deutsche Welle (dw.com) and France24 as well
  
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- FundMECFSResearch@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Decent News Service? The BBC is at best problematic.
  
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  - alexc@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    I am guessing you’ve never watched (say) Fox News in the US?
    
    I’m not saying the BBC is good per se. I’m saying it’s slightly more objective than the rest.
    
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- knacht1@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Al Bawaba used to do well also …
  
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otp@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
As a Canadian, I’d be upset if we got paywalled. The BBC is where I go to for trusted news on international concerns.

Understandable, but I’d still be upset.

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- Sturgist@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Could just VPN into the UK. Proton offers a free, no login required, VPN tier with several end points in the UK
  
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Humanius@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
So that sounds to me that Americans should use a VPN to pretend they are accessing the website from Europe

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- Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Seems like a high bar for checking the news. I’ll just switch to a different news outlet.
  
  Shame to further isolate the US towards the largely crappy intranational journalism options.
  
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obinice@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Makes sense, we pay our licence fee for our public service, why should people abroad get for free what we have to pay for?

I was happy with the current arrangement of adverts supporting the service use abroad, but if it has to migrate to a subscription model to meet modern demands then that’s the way it is.

I wouldn’t go to another country and ask them to make one of their government’s national public services free for me to use, after all.

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- NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  The world service was always free because it’s a propaganda platform that promotes Britain and British values abroad. I guess they are content just to push Reform propaganda to a domestic audience from now on.
  
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- ADTJ@feddit.uk ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  BBC shows ads on some foreign services, but not in the UK
  
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- crapwittyname@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Nah mate. Information is free the second it leaves its source. Any attempt to curtail it after then is just a cunts trick.
  
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  - TheGrandNagus@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    I imagine you wouldn’t be saying this if it was your work being used.
    
    If you went through the painstaking effort or writing a book or something, I imagine you’d be pretty unhappy if nobody wanted to reimburse you, and you were called a cunt for wanting to be paid for your labour.
    
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Blackmist@feddit.uk ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
A bizarre decision.

Every paywalled news site is a news site I don’t read.

I mean, nobody likes adverts, but I think even fewer people like paying.

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- Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  I don’t like having to have one more login for something, it’s more about that then the money even.
  
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NotSteve_@lemmy.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

BBC announced it’s introducing a paywall for consumers in the U.S

It seems like it’s only for the US? If that’s true can you update the title OP

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- Pro@programming.dev ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  🌹Done🌹
  
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  - NotSteve_@lemmy.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    Awesome thanks! 😊
    
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pelespirit@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
They’re not that great anyway. They’re barely holding on to my personal list of reliable sources. If I really need something, there are other places to go. Good luck BBC.

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- Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Any recommendations for a good replacement? I check BBC world on the daily but will be stopping as soon as this kicks in.
  
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  - pelespirit@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    The Guardian isn’t horrible, but not perfect. Reuters, if you squint, is pretty good 3/4 of the time. Propublica is great for investigative journalism. All of them have horrible headline writers at least half the time. Politico isn’t worth checking, but every month or so, you might miss something. It’s a mixed bag basically, so you have to check out a few.
    
    I try to post the “real” stuff (not what trump says, but what he and the republicans are doing) on politics at sh.itjust.works on weekdays. It’s US based and I’m anti-right.
    
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  - KumaSudosa@feddit.dk ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    I usually use Deutsche Welle actually. Generally happy with it! Also available in English, of course
    
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dastanktal@lemmy.ml ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Eh nothing of value was lost

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ShittyBeatlesFCPres@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
I know there’s rights issues and all but if they made a real BBC streaming service with their back catalog and every David Attenborough special in 4K, it’d be one thing but Americans are inundated with news and streaming services. I pay for my local newspaper’s digital site — mostly because if I don’t, who will? But even The NY Times has to have recipes and word games to keep people subscribed. Why would anyone pay more than a dollar a month or something for BBC News?

The U.S. seems like an odd place to trial this. It’s the most competitive media market in the world and we’re all already sick of being asked to pay for 40 different services. In conclusion:🏴‍☠️

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- cupcakezealot@piefed.blahaj.zone ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  i mean they basically have that with britbox
  
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- KumaSudosa@feddit.dk ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  It’s insane how much music, art, theatre, television etc still comes out of the UK, and how little they’ve capitalised on it - letting the Americans take all the initiative.
  
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j0ester@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Guess I’ll be using VPN

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Mrkawfee@feddit.uk ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
BBC is Israeli propaganda so no loss.

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- knacht1@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  $25 a month for the NYT.
  
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mintiefresh@piefed.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Feels like subscriptions are inevitable for everything these days.

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- NENathaniel@lemmy.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Well to be fair, a perpetual license for media/news wouldn’t make sense
  
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axus@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Geez, I feel slightly to blame for checking bbc.com a couple times a day and rejecting the cookies

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stsquad@lemmy.ml ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Seems fair enough, these things cost money and the #BBC is in a race to diversify it’s income in preparation for the license fee going away. The dynamic description sounds like they want to preserve the casual visitors experience of an open site.

I get ads on my BBC podcasts when I’m abroad. I assume that’s all part of it.

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DancingBear@midwest.social ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Can you just use a vpn to listen to the radio? I listen to bbc every morning before work, I will not pay though

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