BBC iPlayer now requires you to sign in for your catch-up TV fix

Last month, the BBC announced plans to force iPlayer users to sign into their account in order to watch the catch-up service. The requirement is now rolling out, and this means that the option to skip sign-in is starting to vanish.

Visitors to the site are now greeted by a message that reads: "You now need to sign in to watch. It's quick & easy. And we'll keep you signed in." Without following the instruction to sign in -- which gives the BBC the opportunity to check for a valid TV license -- it is not possible to watch any programming.

The BBC says that the sign-in procedure will help it to offer a more personalized service to users -- such as program suggestions and allowing for moving from one device to another. But as well as helping the corporation to make its service "more personal and relevant to you," the login requirement comes after a law was introduced that required iPlayer viewers to hold a valid TV license.

Last month, MyBBC launch director Andrew Scott said:

By matching email addresses we may be able to identify someone who has told us they don't need a TV license while at the same time having signed in and watched iPlayer.

So we will now use this alongside our existing enforcement techniques to help identify people who are watching license fee-funded content without a license.

However, the Independent reports that: "The corporation said the move would help it to identify anyone using the service without paying, but denied that it was part of a crackdown on license-fee evaders."

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