The BBC's decision to unencrypt its satellite broadcasts might impact on its ability to secure big US TV shows.
As previously reported until recently the BBC's satellite signals were encrypted so that, even though you could receive them in Ireland and Northern Europe, you could only watch them if you has a Sky subscription or a Solus decoder card. The cost of running the latter was expensive so the BBC decided to unencrypt their signals, allowing anyone with a satellite dish and decoder to tune in.
Aside from pissing off Sky who got a good income to administer the Solus card - and ITV, Channel 4 and Five who still use the Solus card system and are now left with the bill - it seems the BBC might have lost the faith of some of the big US broadcasters who fear that when they sell the Beeb the UK rights to their shows viewers elsewhere in Europe will also be able to tune in for free.
The first show likely to affected by this move is Fox TV's '24' - the third series of which the BBC is currently trying to secure the rights to broadcast. With existing deals already done with broadcasters in France and Spain - countries which in theory can now pick up BBC 1 and 2 - Fox are reluctant to give the show to the Corporation.
Tough negotiations are ongoing, but if they lose '24' this might start a precedent with other international programme makers.