The BBC has a bold new plan to turn iPlayer into the home of British television – and it involves opening the platform up to other broadcasters, pulling its own content back from other services, and trying something that looks a lot like what BritBox was supposed to be.
The proposal is buried inside A BBC For All, a 100-page document published today as the BBC’s official response to the government’s Charter Review Green Paper – the consultation process that will determine what the BBC looks like from 2028 onwards, when the current Royal Charter expires.
Most of the headlines from the document have focused on the TV licence crisis and funding – which we’ve covered separately.
But there’s another proposal tucked inside that’s arguably just as meaningful for anyone who cares about streaming in the UK: the BBC wants to open iPlayer to other UK public service broadcasters, potentially bringing Channel 4 and ITV content under the same roof – and it’s even floating the idea of pulling its own UKTV channels back inside iPlayer too.
It’s an ambitious idea. It’s also one British broadcasters have tried before. Twice.
What Is This Document?
Before diving in, a quick word on what A BBC For All actually is: The BBC operates under a Royal Charter – essentially its constitutional rulebook, setting out what the BBC is, what it does and how it’s funded.
The current one expires on December 31, 2027, which means the government is now in the process of deciding what the next one looks like.
In December, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy launched a Green Paper – a consultation document laying out options being considered, from advertising on iPlayer to placing BBC dramas behind a subscription paywall. The consultation closes on March 10, 2026.
Today’s document is the BBC’s formal response to that consultation. It’s not government policy, and it doesn’t determine what actually happens – that’ll come in a White Paper later this year.
But it’s…