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Confirmed, can't access it from Canada, but with a VPN to the US, it's available.

Who makes these choices?

It’s similar to the BBC blocking non-UK streamers.

The BBC is not free though.

Neither is PBS. It’s funded through grants, donations and government funding via the Corporation for Public Broadcasting[0]

[0]: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporation_for_Public_Broad...

Right, but even to endusers, the BBC isn't free, unlike PBC.

The BBC is free. There's no charge to use the BBC.

There's a TV licence, but that's payable if you watch any live tv as it's broadcast.

Or iPlayer. Really consuming any BBC media requires a TV license legally.

You do need a licence if you watch any tv live as it's broadcast, or BBC iPlayer.

But you'd need a licence if you only ever watch Channel 4 and never watched any BBC content. The licence is not tied to BBC content - you don't need a licence to use the website or listen to BBC sounds or use BBC radio.

The licence is tied to watching live tv as it's broadcast or BBC iPlayer.

I didn't even know YouTube did this.

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