BBC angry over hungry Aussie Doctor Who fans

Susannah Guthrie
Sep 10, 2014, updated Sep 10, 2014

The BBC has called for stronger piracy laws to be enacted after 13,000 Australian Doctor Who fans tried to access the latest series before its official launch.

• Australians pay 400% more for pay TV

Due to a temporary security lapse, fans were able to circulate unauthorised copies of episodes ahead of the BBC’s own global premiere.

According to a report in The Australian Financial Review, the British broadcaster has encouraged internet providers to take responsibility for online piracy and hold consumers of stolen content to account.

In a submission to the government’s ongoing copyright review, BBC Worldwide said Australian piracy levels could have a lasting effect of the sustainability of the Australian media industry if left unchanged.

“Effective and decisive action is urgently needed to address the rising tide of online copyright infringement … BBC Worldwide supports the introduction of a co-operative scheme whereby both content-owners and internet service providers share in the responsibility to reduce and eliminate online copyright infringement,” the submission said.

While other submissions have blamed the proliferation of piracy on the lack of available Australian content, the BBC suggested that greater education about the impact of copyright infringement and a greater range of access across media platforms would combat the problem.

The BBC’s suggestion comes soon after the Australian government proposed the introduction of an industry-run internet filter to curb illegal downloads.

Consumer group CHOICE hit back at the suggestion, saying it would threaten pricing competition

“Piracy is a problem in Australia but we expect the Government to look to the market first for a solution. Australians struggle to pay a fair price to watch what they want at the same time as the rest of the world. The internet has made affordable content possible but Australian providers are not delivering,” CHOICE said in a statement.