For the avoidance of doubt, they do not automatically match up TV licences to your BBC iPlayer account. When you go to the website to watch a video, you are redirected to the login page. From there, you are asked whether you have a TV licence, and only then does the video start. I can only assume the forced login is to enable user tracking?

I don't mind paying the TV license fee as the content is excellent, but I browse the website and download what I want to watch with youdube-dl, because I categorically reject their creepy tracking, which they refuse to properly explain. If youtube-dl stops working, I'll keep paying the licence to support the programming, but will look for torrents of the shows to download instead.

Technology serves policy. You don't build anything without a reason.

If they said "our technology platform is cheaper if we track every user's activity and prevent anyone from accessing it without authentication" then at least that would be honest. I think it would raise some very legitimate questions, though.

FWIW I don't think this is the case. You can access BBC Sounds fine from other parts of the world, just with ads inserted. If they can geolocate non-UK listeners to substitute auth for ads, they can geolocate UK listeners without auth or ads.