BEEB’S A BRIT OF A RIP-OFF

Britbox service pricier in UK

THE BBC has been accused of ripping off licence holders with its new streaming service Britbox.

The platform, jointly created by the Beeb and ITV, costs American viewers less than those in the UK.

And US viewers have a greater choice of programmes.

The news has infuriated TV licence and Britbox subscribers, who already resent paying twice to watch BBC programmes.

Sam Packer, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “Charging Brits to watch shows they already pay for each year via the licence fee is ridiculous.

“The BBC should scrap its outdated funding model, axe the tax on television and replace it with subscription fees, rather than trying to raking in cash from both sources.”

Licence payers have also vented their anger. One posted: “How can the BBC justify the TV licence when they are charging to see programmes which we have paid for before and then essentially charge us again.

“Something’s got to be done. Are you listening Boris Johnson?”

Britbox is a streaming service like Netflix and Amazon Prime that offers British TV shows.

It costs £5.99 a month, whereas US subscribers pay around £3.82.

American customers have a wider variety of series because of a deal between Britbox and the USonly portal on Amazon. Britbox

US and Britbox UK are separate entities “with Britbox US having had substantially longer to establish themselves and their platform selections”, the company says.

This means that UK viewers are unable to watch classics such as The Sweeney or newer hits like Michelle Keegan’s Our Girl.

Classic British drama such as My Boy Jack are also off-limits to British audiences.

Bosses are unable to say when many of the titles available in America will be viewable by the public which paid for them to be made in the first place.

A Britbox spokesman said: “Britbox US and Britbox UK operate as completely separate businesses.

“The content available on the two services differ due to different licensing agreements and restrictions.”

ANOTHER institution determined to squeeze every penny out of the poor benighted customer is the BBC.

We report this week how Britbox – a service showing old shows – costs way more in Britain than it does in the US.

Here, your repeats come in at a hefty £5.99 a month. In the States, you can pay as little as £3.82 a month.

Campaigners say it’s a rip-off. And customers are being charged again for shows they have paid for in the past through their licence fee.

Yet again, the bloated Beeb is behind the times. Surely, a root-and-branch review of the organisation is in order.

They’ve got away with way too much for far too long.