> We have an unusual requirement when it comes to developing the BBC website – it carries advertising internationally but not in the UK, and we have to build and design for both these situations simultaneously. The site carries advertising internationally so that UK licence fee payers don’t cover international costs.
So essentially the reason that we cannot view the page is because we would see adverts when we have already paid for the content. What a Kafkaesque situation.
Given that they can already determine the country of origin by the IP quite effectively, I don't see why they don't just hide the adverts for UK viewers. This is a good example of well-intentioned insanity.
I disagree on "quite effectively"; they don't let me see quite a lot of content from work because they think I'm not in the UK, even though I physically am a licence payer in London.
To add to the insanity though, I can't see this article either.
I'd like to see their budgetary proof that not a penny of license-payer money was used on this. What about overheads (Light, Heat, Power, Rent)? Do they partition those out? I doubt it.
> We have an unusual requirement when it comes to developing the BBC website – it carries advertising internationally but not in the UK, and we have to build and design for both these situations simultaneously. The site carries advertising internationally so that UK licence fee payers don’t cover international costs.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/help/site_versions.shtml
So essentially the reason that we cannot view the page is because we would see adverts when we have already paid for the content. What a Kafkaesque situation.