TV Licence article Discussion

Lynne_Cowap-French

I no longer live in my own home as for the past two years I have been a full time carer to a close relative. Do I need a TV Licence since I don't watch any tv in my own home & no-one else resides at my property?

[Deleted User]

If no live TV is being watched (irrespective of whether anyone is residing at the property), then you don't need a licence for that property.

[Deleted User]

cw18 wrote: »

And the problem (in my opinion) is that as things stand at the moment there's nothing to encourage the BBC to change. If Sky or Virgin (or whoever else) only shows stuff you don't like, then you stop using their service and don't pay them a penny. But if you only want to watch stuff on (live) non-BBC channels you still have to pay the BBC. So the only way people can show them what they think of the service at the moment is to give up ALL live TV shows, and that seems terribly unfair (but still something I decided was worth doing).

With leading such busy a busy life there's certainly no spare time to sit and mindlessly watch live TV. On demand... be it catch-up, Netfix, youtube etc allows us to fit programs we like into our lives.

From speaking to friends/most we are not unique.

In saying all this it would be a sad day if all live TV ceased.

With TV from so many sources would I be wrong in thinking TV should being a business should be run like a business?

The license fee makes no sense to me... A tax to watch/record any live TV with the majority of the takings going to the BBC?

Mostly I listen to BBC radio in the car and one thing that really annoys me if the BBC advertising by the back door. The sheer number of programs that plug (basically advertise) companies and other programs that lure you in only to find out it's for a big charity. Then all the income from abroad... Whilst dipping their paws into every household budget in the land!

Sorry not for me...

All the best!

BBC-Died-in-1980

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

I just did, and it gave me a warm feeling.

Me too - especially as the Unions & BBC employees have created their own BBC protection league: http://saveourbbc.net/
It looks like panic is setting in - at the BBC :T

castle96

"I believe so. Certainly, there's no technical reason why they'd need an aerial connection to support catch-up. (Whereas Sky does require a satellite connection to control access to recording and other box functions)."

So, with my smart tv, I can bin the sky box, disconnect the land aerial, and just use catch up via the router. All legal then, yes ?

Cornucopia

Yes, as long as you never use any live streaming options that your Smart TV might have.

castle96

thanks. Must admit I dont know if it has any 'live' straming option.
Must look into this NOW box thing. One off or monthly cost

castle96

Entertainment - Now TV

www.nowtv.com/entertainment


Now TV


Stream live tv episodes online and watch on loads of devices. ... Try it for £1 Learn more about NOW TV. 18+. ..... Save up to 35% with our NOW TV Box packs

problem here, ie LIVE...? eg if I was to watch Sky1 or Gold, that is a live broadcast. If I was to watch the box sets, they are not live. Would TVL really believe that I only watched catchup by wifi/router, and boxsets by Now ??

Cornucopia

Firstly, TVL do not have rights of entry, so simply don't let them in.

Secondly, anyone seeking to be Legally Licence Free should be taking basic (not heroic) steps to make their configuration consistent with not watching TV broadcasts live.

Unfortunately, some platforms are more amenable than others for this. IIUC, the live TV apps can be removed from the Now TV box, leaving just catch-up and video-on-demand, so that's one approach.

Also, you could look at Chromecast, where the remote control is your tablet, laptop or phone, and none of these devices are accessible by TVL under any circumstances.

The situation is complicated (and not helped by the general confusion and obfuscation that emanates from TVL towers). The key thing is only to watch non-licenceable content, to be clear on what the rules are pertaining to the Licence and to TVL's (limited) powers), and to be reasonably assertive when dealing with TVL as they can be difficult to deal with.

cw18

I used a 3 month free trial of Now TV using an App on my Smart TV - no additional box required, and access to box sets but no live TV (at least back when I used it). I didn't think I'd use it enough to merit paying the subscription fee though, so cancelled at the end of the trial.