Most UK households have at least one television set and over the years they have probably gone through their fair share of video recorders and DVD players as well. The home computer may have started off life as a humble word processor or device on which to play Space Invaders but with the launch of the Internet, there seems to be no limit to its uses.
On Christmas Day, 2007, the BBC launched the live version of the iPlayer, giving TV addicts a new conduit on which to watch live and recently broadcast shows. It wasn’t long before Channel 4, ITV and other channels caught on. The UK has entered an era where viewers may still need a licence to watch TV but they no longer need a television.
Streaming Programmes Online with BBC, ITV and Channel 4
The BBC iPlayer website is a good place to start when watching television on the Internet for the first time. It provides the clearest instructions and the site itself is probably the easiest to navigate. First time users will want to read through their ‘Getting Started’ section.
They recommend that users have a broadband or cable Internet connection speed of at least 1 Mbps. Dial-up will not provide adequate connection. In addition, the computer needs to be able to run the latest version of Flash in order to display programmes in full screen mode. Not surprisingly, some security systems will try and block iPlayer access so it also pays to check firewall settings to ensure that iPlayer and Flash is not being blocked by the computer settings.
Once this is all in order, the viewer can browse shows in a variety of ways. BBC viewers can check out a number of TV highlights on the homepage or look through programmes broadcast on BBC1, BBC2, BBC3, CBBC and other channels. Radio programmes are available for access in a similar way. Users can also browse by category if they prefer. Radio and TV is divided into fifteen categories, including Children’s, Music and even Film. Fortunately there’s also a good old-fashioned ‘search’ box ever-present at the top of the screen.
Watch Shows and Entire TV Series Online for Free
The search function tends to be more useful on Channel 4’s ‘4oD’ and ITV.com websites. The layout of these sites is a little more confusing as there is less of a division between the channel’s own website and the area for programme viewing.
Viewers looking through categories on the 4oD website will find that they can only view programmes with the ‘WATCH NOW ON 4oD’ moniker, so why they include other Channel 4 shows that cannot be viewed online within the same list is a little baffling.
However, once users get used to this inconvenience the pay-off can be rewarding. For example, type ‘Peep Show’ into the 4oD Programme Finder box and viewers will find all six series available, all free to view.
ITV’s policy is slightly less generous with some shows only available to watch online for only a week after broadcast. However fans of long-running soap, Coronation Street will be happy to know that episodes are online for up to a month after broadcast.
For parents who share the computer with children, there are ways to implement online viewing restrictions. 4 on Demand and ITV Player allows adults to set a 4 digit pin number which then needs to be entered at the beginning of every viewing session. Similarly, iPlayer allows parents to set up a ‘Parental Guidance Lock’ password.
Watching UK TV Channels Online Outside the UK
The BBC iPlayer site explains that due to rights agreements, programmes can only be downloaded or streamed in the UK. The same applies for ITV, where international rights are not held for all of the programmes they broadcast. According to the BBC’s website, obtaining international rights and Flash streaming for such large file sizes overseas is cost prohibitive.
It may be worth checking with local TV networks who broadcast UK programmes in case they stream content on their website but it seems that it will be a long time before ITV Player, iPlayer and similar UK channels are fully available to watch online abroad.
Sara Revell - I am a freelance production coordinator and after living and working in Seattle for 5 years I moved back to London at the beginning of ...
