TV Guide and Listings App vs BFBS Player
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
TV Guide and Listings App
Discover what's on TV with this comprehensive guide. Stay informed about the latest programming and connect with a community of viewers. Designed for ease of use, it aims to provide a pleasant viewing experience.
- TV listings
- Programming schedule
- Latest news
- Community connection
- User-friendly design
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Welcome to our app! We're glad you're here. We've built it with our valuable users in mind, so that you can receive faster and better support, stay informed about the latest news, connect with our community, and use our tools. It was designed with ease of use in mind, and we hope you'll have a pleasant experience using it. We're here to listen and welcome any suggestions you may have. Your feedback and questions are welcome here, and we're happy to receive them. Please feel free to write to us.
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.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: BFBS Player at 5.0 against TV Guide and Listings App's 3.6. BFBS Player also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ads (none vs shown). TV Guide and Listings App's advantage is update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 6 months) and ratings volume (35 vs 3). On price and iOS requirement 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. TV Guide and Listings App sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. BFBS Player asks for nothing beyond the download.
BFBS Player holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: TV Guide and Listings App has 35 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 7% of TV Guide and Listings App's written reviews are positive against 19% of BFBS Player's.
TV Guide and Listings App ships an update every 4 weeks, BFBS Player every 6 months. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.
| Parameter | TV Guide and Listings App | BFBS Player |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.6 (35 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 7.4% of reviews | 19.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 35 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks — better | Every 6 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 66 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | DIGITALBOX PUBLISHING LIMITED | BFBS Radio |
Customer experience
TV Guide and Listings App
BFBS Player
Bugs and requests
TV Guide and Listings App
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or 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
In-app purchases
TV Guide and Listings App
- TV Guide Monthly Subscription1 Month trial$2.991 Month
- TV Guide Annual Subscription1 Month trial$25.491 Year
BFBS Player
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is TV Guide and Listings App free?
Is BFBS Player free?
Which has better reviews, TV Guide and Listings App or BFBS Player?
Do TV Guide and Listings App or BFBS Player have ads?
Which is updated more often, TV Guide and Listings App or BFBS Player?
Other comparisons
