BBC may not air third '24'

The BBC may not win the rights to broadcast the third season of 24 following its decision to broadcast unencrypted via digital satellite.

According to this week's Broadcast magazine, US studio FOX - which makes and distributes the "real-time" drama - is concerned that viewers on the continent could watch the series for free on the BBC.

Earlier this year the corporation took the decision to move its channels to a different satellite and broadcast in the clear in order to save the money it spent on encryption. The BBC argued that the new satellite had a tighter footprint (reception area) principally aimed at the UK, however some dish owners in parts of France and northern Spain soon discovered that they were now able to pick up the channels for free.

Broadcast rights for programmes and sporting fixtures are often sold on a country-by-country basis, so problems arise when the shows can be inadvertently seen where they are not supposed to.

FOX already has deals in place with local broadcasters in France, Spain and across the continent for the show, meaning that unless a compromise is reached, the BBC may not be able to air the upcoming series in the New Year as planned.

Instead 24 could be sold to a terrestrial rival such as ITV, or even a pay TV channel such as Sky One or E4. Alternatively the BBC could continue to broadcast the series but not via digital satellite, forcing millions of viewers to switch back to conventional analogue TV to watch the show.

24 has been a major property for the BBC across its first two seasons, drawing both ratings in excess of 3 million and important critical acclaim.