The BBC should help to fund the costs of broadcasting programmes via its iPlayer website, BT has said.

According to the broadband provider, it costs a "huge amount" to deliver bandwidth-hungry content shown on sites such as the iPlayer and YouTube.

The telecoms firm said that it is unfair for broadcasters to expect internet service providers to broadcast the programmes for no additional charge.

As such, BT has asserted that content providers need to help out with the costs.

Speaking to the Financial Times, John Petter, Managing Director of BT Retail's consumer business, commented: "We can't give the content providers a completely free ride and continue to give customers the [service] they want at the price they expect."

Mr Petter went on to say that he would not confirm the exact amount that video services were costing BT.

However, he added: "If it wasn't a significant sum, we wouldn't be focused on it."