TV license - can I cancel if I don't watch TV?

Marvel1

I was looking into this myself, as I can't remember the last time I watched live TV, my TV is used for watching DVD's and my X-Box, and since I can't record TV shows I use catch-up services - I-Player etc. Also with Lovefilm.

I am on free sky at the moment and it didn't work for about 2 months back in July and never bothered phoning to get it sorted as I don't watch it.

Sorry to add on your question, but I have one also, ok so say I disconnect the sky box and sell it, but keep the dish for the future as never know, would this be ok?

My TV has freeview but there is no aerial.

Cornucopia

It's the same as having a redundant terrestrial aerial on your roof - not an issue.

It's also permitted to use Sky (and therefore the dish) to receive radio without a TV licence.

culpepper

We have just got rid of our TV viewing 'facility'.
All we did was unplug the set top box and give it away.
We are still able to watch films and tv series because we can plug the screen into a netbook and watch netflix and catch up telly,although so far we have only watched netflix and there are no adverts at all.
Very liberating.
I emailed the license people to say we no longer watched 'live tv' and cancelled the monthly payment for the license.
Many moons ago we had no TV and were sometimes written to about why we had no license. A 'market researcher' even knocked one day asking to do a survey about the adverts we watched , when I said we didn't have TV she stood back and pointed up at the aerial .
There was no digital TV back then but I did point out that we were hardly going to pay someone to go up and get it down .

Some of those youtube videos showing capita on peoples door steps are interesting.
I have a good mind to keep a mobile phone near the door in case we should need to 'film' an encounter ourselves.

Cornucopia

Yes, for those who dislike ads and excessive continuity incursions into programmes, streaming and/or download are definitely the way to go.

BBC iplayer programmes are shown (mostly) without squeezed credits or talking over end-titles.

40D (on the PC) shows programmes without ads.

old_system

Cancelled mine last month, filled in their form on line and already had one letter saying an investigation starts on the 31st. Got nothing to hide but i certainly wont be letting strangers look around my house.

spacey2012

On proof, I once sat in on sheep dip court day, or TV licence days as it's know, the "hearings" lasted about a minute each, a form was produced, the not guilty accused asked if that was their signature which they said yes, asked if they had anything to say, which the head magistrate stopped him after a few seconds and said, non of this is relevant if you signed the documentation.
A quick grumble and he was guilty.
So, dont sign anything !

Cornucopia

In my experience the TV Licence sessions are remarkable mostly for the tiny number of defendants who actually turn up.

A two-hour session might have 90 cases scheduled, and 5 defendants actually appear in person.