BBC rolls out beta version of live mobile TV

08 Apr 2009 | 11.13 Europe/London

Quiet as you like, the BBC has started testing a beta version of live mobile TV – despite the fact that users of the service could face prosecution. The service, which is hoped will bring in younger viewers, has one flaw, however, as pointed out by the TV Licensing Authority. Anyone who plugs their mobile into the mains to watch a live stream of BBC One, BBC Two, amongst other channels, could be prosecuted, should the premises where the device is plugged into not have a TV licence.

There's also another catch. "You would have to have a TV licence already if you use your mobile phone to watch live TV," said a TV Licensing Authority spokesman. "That home licence covers you unless you plug into the mains." Anyone using the service while travelling on a train, plane, boat or car, however, is covered by the licensing agreement – even if they plug their device into the mains.

Users get a 176 x 144-pixel image of the programme, and can also listen to Auntie's radio stations. Not everyone's cellphone, however, can get the beta version. Neither Nokia nor iPhone owners can get the service. The Beeb's statement did not, however, address the potential illegality of the service. "The BBC has been running a public beta to test live TV/Radio, on a limited number of Wi-Fi enabled handsets, via the mobile homepage since last September," it said. "The purpose is to test uptake and quality and assess how we might be able to stream live services to an increasing number of mobile devices in the future."

[Guardian and The Register]