BBC Global iPlayer

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BBC GLOBAL iPLAYER was the BBC's international version of its UK-only on-demand video app iPlayer.

It launched in July 2011 initially exclusively for Apple iPad users. A few months later the app could also be downloaded onto iPod Touch and iPhone devices.

The international app had one feature not available in the UK - the ability to download and store content to watch offline.

Initially, Global iPlayer was available in 11 European countries: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, The Republic of Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland. Programmes were in English only without subtitles.

The subscription cost €6.99 Euro per month, with the option of an annual subscription priced at €49.99 Euro.

From December 2011, the streaming site was available in Denmark, Finland, and Sweden, with the service extended to two markets outside Europe: Canada (for CAD$8.99 pm / CAD$84.99 pa) and Australia (AUD$7.49 pm).

After only four years operation, the service was closed to all markets on 26 June 2015. It was believed that plans to roll-out the app in the US threatened local cable providers who had rights to much of the same content, although the BBC denied this, citing the app was only ever considered to be a "pilot" to test the market for online streaming services.

It was a pilot that proved to be highly successful - as less than five months later, the UK-only exclusive BBC Store opened, and two years later came the US-only subscription VOD service BritBox...


Doctor Who on BBC Global iPlayer

Among the wide selection of old and new BBC programmes was a small range of both Classic Doctor Who serials (the first five Doctors only) and New Series episodes.

The following classic serials (all episodically) are known to have been available, but there may have been more. The Dalek serials were branded as Daleks Forever! specials:

Menu screen showing Daleks Forever! selection