BBC support for tiered iPlayer

The BBC have stated their support for tiered services being run by ISPs based on different speeds (and here was me thinking that they already did this), and is looking at making their iPlayer video catchup service available at different bit rates to support this.

Their controller for Vision and Online Media Anthony Rose stated that the iPlayer is using up 7% of the bandwidth being used in the UK at peak times - and supports the idea of ISPs taking advantage of tiered iPlayer services to meet the backhaul and other network costs to them.

Rose said:

"The ISPs license the bandwidth for IP stream, based on peak usage. For this reason, iPlayer traffic is costing those ISPs. It is not just iPlayer, all traffic from YouTube, Facebook and other services is costing them."

The costs of the iPlayer to ISPs and how (if) they should be passed on to consumers has been a talking point over the last 12 months - with the people at low cost ISP Tiscali being the frontrunners in the debate.