Internet Service Providers are threatening to pull the plug on the BBC’s Iplayer software.

Many of us have been using the fantastic BBC Iplayer to catch up on our TV Viewing but there is a fear by ISP’s that as these web TV broadcasts become more popular the nwtworks face becoming overload as more and more people download catch up TV episodes.

Many broadband providers in the UK have threated pulling the plug from the new iPlayer unless the BBC contributes to the excessive cost of streaming the TV episodes and videos across the web.

Companies such as British Telecom, Tiscali and the Carphone Warehouse have become concerned that the effect of 100’s and 1000’s of viewing public watching BBC programs via its new iPlayer software that allows the viewing public to catch up on missed TV shows on the internet will cause an intolerable strain onto the networks capacity.

The companies have informed the BBC that the bandwidth available to the iplayer will be limited thereby allowing fewer concurrent viewings at one time.

Tiscali via a spokesman commented “The potential for iPlayer to suck up capacity is a concern and we need a better dialogue with the BBC about that.”

British Telecom commented “It is certainly a live debate between internet service providers and the BBC. If the BBC gets the numbers it wants for iPlayer then network capacity could become an issue.”

This is a growing problem and as the number of video content uploading on the net using websites like YouTube the strain of ISP’s coping with the volume of data transferring across networks is causing a growing strain, and with more and more TV companies showing content on the web. many analysts believe that ISPs will have to cap consumers’ internet useage or and raise prices to counter the use.

The iPlayer will enable internet users to watch BBC programming on a seven-day catch-up basis, without charge. Once downloaded, programmes can be watched at any time for up to 30 days, with seven days to view them once started.

Other UK TV Broadcasters Channel 4 and ITV have also both launched internet players that will further eat away at the capacity of ISPs. New internet only broadcasters like Joost are also hoping to carve a niche for themselves in the UK.

Ian Maude, an analyst from Enders Analysis, the independent research house commented “No broadcaster has rights clearance to distribute all its broadcast content over the internet. The BBC, for example, holds the rights for in-house produced programming, as well as catch-up TV and series stacking rights for independently produced programming from the UK, but few internet rights for acquired content, such as feature films and sports events.”

“At launch, around 60 per cent of the BBC’s weekly TV schedule will be available via the iPlayer. However, we anticipate that the strong affiliation of viewers with the broadcaster brands will drive usage of their catch-up TV services, despite less than comprehensive availability of programming.”

So we are getting the content we want at an alarming rate but the infrastructure is straining to cope under the load and urgently needs improving and updating.