BFBS Player vs Northern Competitions
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
BFBS Player
Access a variety of UK TV channels and exclusive Forces content while serving overseas. Requires authentication with a Defence Gateway account for serving British Forces members and entitled users. Not intended for unsupervised use by minors.
- UK TV channels
- Exclusive Forces channels
- Overseas access
- Defence Gateway authentication
- Forces TV channel access in UK
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Provides the range of BFBS TV services to members of the British Forces, including their dependents and other entitled users serving overseas. To use the app and the services you must be a serving member of the British Forces and use your Defence Gateway account to authenticate your log in. The App is not intended for unsupervised use by minors. The range of services includes the main UK TV channels with extra channels designed exclusively for the Forces. These are intended for viewers serving or posted outside of the UK and access is restricted within the UK, apart from the Forces TV channel.
Northern Competitions
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Northern Competitions is a family based business based in Cumbria. We run competitions nearly every day of the week. The local community is important to us, therefore we are proud sponsors of the girls under 11s football team and the youth Rugby league team in the local area. We are looking forward to supporting more fundraisers and charities in the near future. Are you into amazing prizes including cash, jewellery and fashion? Get involved and browse through all of our competitions and choose your favourite! Stay tuned as we are launching new prizes every week!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: BFBS Player at none against Northern Competitions's shown. Northern Competitions's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
BFBS Player ships an update every 6 months, Northern Competitions every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | BFBS Player | Northern Competitions |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 19.4% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 4 months — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 66 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | BFBS Radio | NORTHERN COMPETITIONS LIMITED |
Bugs and requests
BFBS Player
Reported bugs
17 issues- App thinks users are in the UK when abroad
- App buffers constantly
- Unable to play stream
- Cannot log in
- App returns to login screen after submitting info
Show 12 moreShow fewer
- Login button not working on iPad
- App crashes
- App freezes
- Catch up cuts off last 5 minutes
- TV guide difficult to use
- Links with Defence Gateway cause login loop
- App not working on iPad after update
- Screen shrinks when asking for full screen
- Only plays in small screen on iPad
- Registration 'No' button only works
- Black screen with sound only
- Cannot AirPlay all content
Requested features
8 requests- Show all channels
- Improve location detection for overseas users
- Add Apple TV app
- Enable screen mirroring/casting
- Make app backwards compatible for older iPads
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- Allow users to watch at local time
- Improve video quality
- Add more channels
Northern Competitions
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
BFBS Player
No in-app purchases
Northern Competitions
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is BFBS Player free?
Is Northern Competitions free?
Do BFBS Player or Northern Competitions have ads?
Which is updated more often, BFBS Player or Northern Competitions?
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