TV licence if only watching Netflix etc may be required

Kim_13

The BBC have ruined the shows I used to love, and beyond that there’s universal or near universal agreement that the quality of their output isn’t what it was, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that people don’t want to pay for something they don’t enjoy. I do think they’d get more income if there was a licence-lite, only covering iPlayer - then people who think similarly to me might be more inclined to pay in order to view the boxsets on iPlayer.

I prefer radio for my news nowadays - I heard charging for BBC Radio was also on the table, so I guess that would be another box on the list of activities that need a licence and don’t go through BBC channels when searching for something on DAB! 

Cornucopia

35har1old said:

Cornucopia said:

It's hard not to see this as something that hasn't really been thought through.

I can't see an internet tax working and this doesn't fit the narrative so far.

I think they are wondering about either a tax on paid streaming platforms subs (Netflix, Amazon, etc.), or simply extending the scope of the existing TV Licence to cover commercial streaming (which it doesn't at the moment).  

The first option I think would struggle to justify a tax of more than £2-3 per month.   Also if it were any more than that then some method for avoiding double paying (of the streaming tax + the TV Licence) would be needed.

With the second option, I don't think the Powers That Be understand how hard it is for TVL to visit someone's home and successfully "detect" use of streaming on a laptop (say).   That would be especially hard if those households were newly within the scope of the Licence.

Overall, I think there's some naivety there, but I'll be interested to see what the plans look like in detail.

The possibility of terrestrial TV coming to end after 2034 making everybody having to stream to continue to view.
The Internet provider will become the tax collector and it will likely mean all customer will end up paying even if you don't watch 

The fundamental problem with an Internet tax is that the government wants everyone to be using the Internet.   Adding a tax of maybe 50-100% to ISP contracts doesn't seem to be compatible with that aim.    

Swipe

I can see a lot of people cancelling Netflix if that happens

Kim_13

Swipe said:

I can see a lot of people cancelling Netflix if that happens

Me too. Unless you have the Basic (in which case you are paying to watch and putting up with adverts already), you are paying close to the licence fee or more than the licence fee to Netflix.

Doubling the cost of something (close to three times if basic) tends to lead to a mass exodus. 

Cornucopia

If all of this is about a post-2035 situation where BBC content is delivered exclusively by streaming, then I think it would take a fairly committed ideolog to come up with any other plan than simply charging directly (at source) for BBC content and allowing the rest of the market to flourish freely as it will.   Perhaps some "national treasure" events would be available for free?   

I'm not sure I can see any reason for going any further or any more complicated than that.

4justice2

Most of the comments are focussed entirely on the "charging for Netflix" headline leak idea, the rest of the story lower down the newspaper articles seems to have been overlooked. Other ideas that were leaked at the same time but nobody's talking about include:

Adverts on the BBC 
Turning iPlayer into a subscription service 
Charging for BBC radio 
A variable price licence dependant on your income
Keeping the current system but with "better enforcement"

oldernonethewiser

4justice2 said:

Most of the comments are focussed entirely on the "charging for Netflix" headline leak idea, the rest of the story lower down the newspaper articles seems to have been overlooked. Other ideas that were leaked at the same time but nobody's talking about include:

Adverts on the BBC 
Turning iPlayer into a subscription service 
Charging for BBC radio 
A variable price licence dependant on your income
Keeping the current system but with "better enforcement"

Wonder how that would work?

Cornucopia

They should be made to explain in detail how the present enforcement system is supposed to work before anyone considers making it "better".

sheslookinhot

Is it time for the BBC to be folded. Everything they output could  be seen on other channels catch-up channels.  They could start first by disbanding BBC Scotland.

oldernonethewiser

sheslookinhot said:

Is it time for the BBC to be folded. Everything they output could  be seen on other channels catch-up channels.  They could start first by disbanding BBC Scotland.

Not everything they output could be seen, heard or read elsewhere.

Not a fan of BBC Scotland?