As we know it?
Thatcher wanted to decimate the BBC to a Publisher/Broadcaster only. Her government introduced the 10% indie quota, which has now been increased to 100% by the beeb itself insisting that there will be no protected BBC made programmes. Not that the BBC have a programme making arm - it got rid of that. Even 'BBC Studios' productions have to hire in!
Now some idiot among the mandarins has decided to
'improve' iplayer. I quote from this vision of 2020 (not far away!):-
"We need it to make the leap from a catch-up service to a must-visit destination in its own right," he said.
....
One way the service might do this is by making more series available in their entirety on iPlayer, before they are screened on television."
So the BBC is to be reduced to a Netfix lookalike. It is me or does anyone else see that this is so wrong on many levels.
-- A substantial proportion of the viewing public either doesn't have or want Broadband or can't get a fast enough service.
-- Those that have BB may have a cap which watching on iplayer will soon exceed.
-- If the shift to iplayer is huge then there will be even louder calls for the Licence Fee to be scrapped in favour of subscription.
Even the BBC website reporter, David Sillito, sees the perils:
"TV ratings still matter enormously to schedulers and they will undoubtedly object to seeing their most expensive, prestige programming appearing in a way that undermines the feeling of it being an event.
The idea that vital plot twists will appear on social media - and in the newspapers - before something is shown on BBC One would annoy large parts of the audience and also undermine the pleasure of going on to Twitter or Facebook after an episode in order to comment, or try to understand what you've just seen. "