TV Licence article Discussion

Cornucopia

I think that the relationship is strange, and unhealthy. But I guess that's true of Government-media relationships, generally.

The BBC and some of its senior staff have an unfortunate attitude that politicians are "here today and gone tomorrow", whereas the BBC is somehow timeless. I think that's a big error of fact, but also has the tendency to upset the very politicians who decide the BBC's future (at the end of the day). It also represents what ought to be a huge misjudgement (between the ephemeral nature of broadcasting compared to the tangible nature of government). The only way it could not be that is if the BBC either is interfering with the process of government and/or leadership of the country, or believes that it is. Either would be bad.

Jackmydad

The whole thing seems to me to be fairly dysfunctional.
That can be said of many things though.
There's the whole thing, in both government and the BBC. to be seen to be politically correct, doing the right thing for the right reasons, and being caring about their "customers"
While the reality is that they're often doing the right thing for their own reasons.

Mind you, I'm not a fan of either our (way of selecting) government in it's present "popularity contest" form, or the BBC in it's present "Give us your money and we'll give you what we want you to have" paternalistic form.

I'm also aware that either or both could be an awful lot worse than it is!

vinnie_nan

Hi,
I am going to subscribe for Lyca TV to watch indian channels. I don't know it will be live or catch up. Do I need TV Licence? And also I am going to apply for Now broadband which includes TV package and I don't know it will be live or catch up.Do I need TV Licence?
Thanks
Vin

Cornucopia

vinnie_nan wrote: »

Hi,
I am going to subscribe for Lyca TV to watch indian channels. I don't know it will be live or catch up. Do I need TV Licence?

If it is only catch-up then you definitely do not need a TV Licence for that. If it is broadcast TV, and is a TV channel available in the UK on Satellite or Cable TV, then you definitely do need a TV Licence.

If it is broadcast TV, but is not a parallel service to a TV channel available in the UK, then that is a grey area. TV Licensing presently say you do need a Licence, but the legislation and TV Licensing historically said not.

And also I am going to apply for Now broadband which includes TV package and I don't know it will be live or catch up.Do I need TV Licence?
Thanks
Vin

Now TV has both TV broadcast channels and catch-up/box sets. It is classed by TV Licensing primarily as a streaming service which means that if you do not watch the broadcast channels "as live", then you do not need a TV Licence.

You can still watch catch-up/box sets without needing a TV Licence.

cw18

I have NowTV, and just take care when I watch things.

I normally have the Entertainment package (TV shows - which is the one I believe they've giving away a 6 month pass to if you sign up for Fibre), so I just make sure not to watch the latest episode on the night it airs on Sky. eg. Magnum PI airs on Sky One at 9pm on a Wednesday, and then at 10pm on the +1 channel. So I wait until Thursday to watch it, meaning I don't fall foul of the rule as to when it becomes catch-up rather than delayed live.



I have to be more careful when I have a pass for the Films. I've always avoided the 'just released' for a couple of weeks (with one exception, and my fella checked their schedule carefully before we watched that), and generally start them playing at odd times (rather than on the hour or a half hour etc as - according to my fella who subscribes to Sky at his place - that's when most start on the live Sky channels).

Cornucopia

cw18 wrote: »

I have NowTV, and just take care when I watch things.

I normally have the Entertainment package (TV shows - which is the one I believe they've giving away a 6 month pass to if you sign up for Fibre), so I just make sure not to watch the latest episode on the night it airs on Sky. eg. Magnum PI airs on Sky One at 9pm on a Wednesday, and then at 10pm on the +1 channel. So I wait until Thursday to watch it, meaning I don't fall foul of the rule as to when it becomes catch-up rather than delayed live.

I have to be more careful when I have a pass for the Films. I've always avoided the 'just released' for a couple of weeks (with one exception, and my fella checked their schedule carefully before we watched that), and generally start them playing at odd times (rather than on the hour or a half hour etc as - according to my fella who subscribes to Sky at his place - that's when most start on the live Sky channels).

It's good to be cautious, but you don't have to go to those lengths if you don't want to. Watching a program via the catch-up/box-set mechanism is sufficient.

The Entertainment pass offer (free for 6 months) applies to all new and re-contracting customers of Now TV Broadband. (For re-contracting customers, you just have to ask for it when you haggle).

cw18

Cornucopia wrote: »

It's good to be cautious, but you don't have to go to those lengths if you don't want to. Watching a program via the catch-up/box-set mechanism is sufficient.

I was under the impression that if I watch it as it's being shown live on a TV channel I needed a licence :think:

Cornucopia

cw18 wrote: »

I was under the impression that if I watch it as it's being shown live on a TV channel I needed a licence :think:

It's if you watch it ON a TV channel that you need a Licence.

Given the complexity of scheduling (multiple showings on multiple channels on possibly multiple platforms) it would be unreasonable to expect someone to check the schedules rigourously before watching something on catch-up.

TV Licensing used to talk about a clear 2 hour window after first broadcast, which is probably sensible if you know when the first broadcast was, but I wouldn't go to heroic measures over it. There's no obvious cue in the legislation for their claim (as usual).

Jackmydad

"Please renew now" notice from them for a licence that's up at the end of the month.
From last year I notice that once you renew they seem to take the money a couple of days later, so they really will wait until the very end of the month this time!

cw18

Jackmydad wrote: »

From last year I notice that once you renew they seem to take the money a couple of days later, so they really will wait until the very end of the month this time!

Now we no longer need a paper disc to put in the windscreen I do my road fund licence on the last day of the month for the same reason