Still No Sign of Live’s BBC iPlayer

I want to watch Gavin And Stacey on my 360, now!

If the idea of streaming the BBC iPlayer to your 360 sounds like a little slice of fried gold then you may be in store for a crushing disappointment. The talks between Microsoft and the BBC have stalled as the two debate whether or not it should be a charged for service. Microsoft wants to offer it to all Gold Live members, as it does most of its premium content, in order to make the Gold service the most desirable; the BBC, on the other hand, already charges a licence fee to households and as part of its remit to bring entertainment and education to the masses it cannot justify allowing the iPlayer on Live if Microsoft doesn’t allow it for all its users.

It’s a sticky situation and one we hope is resolved soon. Adding in these web-based services has now become a bragging rights race between Microsoft and Sony, with both consoles attempting to lap up as many as possible. Twitter, Facebook and the iPlayer are huge internet hits, and if Microsoft doesn’t rearrange its terms of use for the UK market then it may find itself at a distinct disadvantage.