The BBC's iPlayer app is only available to those in the United Kingdom and select European countries, but the British broadcaster hasn't given up on bringing the service stateside.
Launched on December 25 four years ago, the BBC's iPlayer has seen considerable success. Allowing people to catch up on the last seven days of their favourite BBC TV and radio shows for free. The service was, until last year, restricted to users in the UK. This is because the cost is covered by the UK's television license fees. However, last year, the broadcaster took the service overseas with the launch of Global iPlayer for iPad users in Europe. Covering classic and current TV shows, a subscription costs €7 per month or €49.99 for a full year. At the end of 2011, Australians, Scandinavians and Canadian were also granted access. So what about America?
According to the BBC, the United States is proving a tricky nut to crack. TechRadar reports that previous rumors suggested cable companies were blocking the launch, and the BBC has said the US market is complicated.
"The US is a particularly complex media market," BBC's Head of Communications for Worldwide Channels and Global iPlayer, Tessa Matchett, told TechRadar in an email. "We have a successful cable channel in BBC America and we're weighing our options for additional platforms."
Word on the street is that US cable companies threatened to drop BBC America out of fear a service like iPlayer would lure subscribers away.
