Broadcasting House
We recently covered the subject of TV in Cyprus and are now looking to cover the same subject in the Middle East where there appear to be more options and more confusion as to whether you can actually legally watch British TV in places such as Dubai and the United Arab Emirates. So what exactly is an offer, what is legal and what can you watch?
British TV overseas
While in general there are many different countries around the world which offer British TV via the BBC worldwide service and other similar services, there are issues with areas such as Dubai and the United Arab Emirates in general. The subject of cultures and cultural clashes is one which always seems to appear when you compare the Middle East with the likes of the UK and this is no different with regards to TV.
What is seen as traditional “normal” TV in the UK may well impact upon legal, moral and religious issues in places such as Dubai so you need to be very careful about what you obtain and how you obtain it.
Online TV
The Internet is fast becoming something which touches the lives of millions upon millions of people each and every day and the fact that it is now possible to watch TV online, via a variety of services, has now taken overseas TV to each and every corner of the world. As English is one of the more popular languages around the world, British TV is very popular and continues to attract the attention of expats around the globe.
However, due to legal and copyright issues many of the UK-based TV stations will not allow overseas viewers to log onto their website and the likes of the iPlayer are will certainly out of reach for those overseas. As you might have guessed, a number of “shortcuts” to get around the overseas viewer issue have been introduced into expat communities around the world with a VPN (a link to a UK-based Internet service provider) hiding the fact that a viewer may well be in an area of the world where the site should not be viewed.
Using a UK-based ISP
Millions upon millions of people around the world regularly use an ISP which may be located in a foreign land, with AOL a prime example in the days when it was US based. Many people may have encountered problems logging on to betting sites when using AOL (in its U.S.-based days) which is a similar setup used by the likes of the BBC, ITV and other UK based TV stations. However, it is now very simple to log yourself onto a UK IP address and hide the fact that you are based overseas, allowing you to view programs online 24 hours a day seven days a week.
Beware of the scams!
Unfortunately the growing demand for British TV in overseas countries has led to a number of “too good to be true” offers on the Internet which promise British TV at the touch of a button. For a relatively small amount of money you will be able to acquire membership of various websites, details of how to access UK TV and other “vital” instructions to improve your TV viewing. However, a number of these websites are being closed down on a regular basis as they try to circumnavigate various protections for TV material and when found out can be closed down in an instant. So in theory you could be paying money one day for membership of a TV website and the next day it could be closed down!
It is also worthwhile remembering that it is you the viewer who is also breaking the law and is you the viewer who could have your ISP connection disabled for life.
The future of online TV
The problem with regards to online TV is the fact that companies have so far been unable to create a sustainable revenue income stream from both home-based and overseas-based viewers. In the UK there is even talk of the government increasing licence fees and introducing across-the-board fees to cover the cost of Internet TV access. As and when TV companies in places such as the UK are able to secure long-term revenue streams from overseas viewers we will no doubt see a massive increase in content available in foreign lands, but until then you are taking a chance if you take an illegal route to view your favourite TV programmes.
Cultural clashes in the United Arab Emirates
We have covered a number of cultural issues in the past with regards to places such as Dubai and the United Arab Emirates in general. The area of entertainment perfectly reflects a number of these issues in Western TV where there are very many differences in opinion between East and West. It is well-known that the Dubai authorities continue to block certain Internet services and indeed many people believe that all Internet activity and e-mails are monitored in some way.
While slowly but surely Western cultures are impregnating Dubai and the United Arab Emirates, there is some way to go before Western TV will be accepted even in the largest expat enclaves in the world.
Breaking the law in Dubai
Until recently many people believed that the Dubai authorities had “turned soft” on local cultures and local regulations which were at odds with the Western way of life, purely and simply to attract overseas investment and overseas visitors. However, over the last few months we have seen an increase in activity by the authorities and while many “moderately illegal” activities are still over looked, those who flout the laws in public are more likely to be disciplined than ever before.
Conclusion
Aside from the fact there are many cultural, religious and moral differences between East and West let us not lose sight of the fact that material provided by the BBC and other British TV companies is copyrighted and only available in designated areas of the world. While there are ways and means of accessing this particular content, those who decide to go down an illegal route may well suffer action from the authorities or their Internet service provider in due course. Copyrighted material is protected for a reason and unless you appreciate this fact you may well be putting yourself at risk.
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