BBC iPlayer users will soon need to use a password to watch shows

Viewers of BBC iPlayer will soon have to register for an account – and enter a password before viewing.

Warnings announcing the change have appeared on iPlayer today – and it will become compulsory ‘within weeks’.

The move will allow the BBC to serve up personalised content to users – with users able to pick up programmes where they left off, even when switching from a tablet to a TV.

It could also help the BBC to track down people who watch without paying a licence fee – which is estimated to lose the corporation £150 million a year, according to The Times.

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MyBBC launch director Andrew Scott said that the move would make iPlayer, ‘more personal and relevant to you’.

Mr Scott said that the change ‘isn’t about enforcing the licence fee – it’s about giving you a better BBC and helping you get the best out of it’.

In a change announced in 2015, users of the BBC’s iPlayer catch-up service, which is built into many devices such as games consoles, have to pay the £145.50 licence fee.

Previously, only households with televisions had to pay the fee, and those without were exempt.