> For some reason, the BBC has decided that either adding a login system or monitoring IP addresses that connect to iPlayer is not the way to go and their official line is that they will continue to monitor usage in the same way as they currently do.

Because it is completely impractical.

TV licenses are per property, not per person, so all that would happen is that people would register accounts at a friend's property and keep streaming.

IPs aren't tied to specific subscribers, and giving out a database of IPs to subscriber addresses would be a huge breach of privacy (as advertisers can use it also).

Plus, frankly, the majority of people pay for their TV licenses and this system would just frustrate legal owners. You'd be deploying a system that may impact less than 5% of viewers, doubt it would even pay for itself.