TV Licence article Discussion

Nick_C

I pointed out on here years ago that the online form is not fit for purpose.  You can legally be licence free, but answer the questions on the form and they may well tell you that you do need a licence.

However, as a courtesy I do call TVL every couple of years, withholding my name and phone number, to advise them that I don't need a licence.  This stops their annoying letters.  My answer to any question they ask during my call is "there is no activity taking place at this address that requires me to buy a TV licence".

2010

Nick_C said:

I pointed out on here years ago that the online form is not fit for purpose.  You can legally be licence free, but answer the questions on the form and they may well tell you that you do need a licence.

However, as a courtesy I do call TVL every couple of years, withholding my name and phone number, to advise them that I don't need a licence.  This stops their annoying letters.  My answer to any question they ask during my call is "there is no activity taking place at this address that requires me to buy a TV licence".

And during this anonymous call, do they still inform you that you may still get a visit anyway?

Nick_C

2010 said:

Nick_C said:

I pointed out on here years ago that the online form is not fit for purpose.  You can legally be licence free, but answer the questions on the form and they may well tell you that you do need a licence.

However, as a courtesy I do call TVL every couple of years, withholding my name and phone number, to advise them that I don't need a licence.  This stops their annoying letters.  My answer to any question they ask during my call is "there is no activity taking place at this address that requires me to buy a TV licence".

And during this anonymous call, do they still inform you that you may still get a visit anyway?

They didn't.  It was mentioned in the "Licence Free" confirmation letter that they sent.

I've been legally licence free for several years now, and not had a visit.  If they ever do visit, I will tell them, politely, to go away.

I could of course write and withdraw their implied right of access, but as they have never visited I don;t see any need to do that.

Cornucopia

There's no best way to handle TV Licensing - more a question of a series of things to bear in mind, and the overall crushing disappointment of the need to "handle" them at all.  

brewerdave

Another misleading article from "GB News" 
You need a TV licence to watch Netflix — and you risk fines of £1,000 for not having one (msn.com)

Crapita must be rubbing their hands together with glee !

Cornucopia

brewerdave said:

Another misleading article from "GB News" 
You need a TV licence to watch Netflix — and you risk fines of £1,000 for not having one (msn.com)

Crapita must be rubbing their hands together with glee !

It's certainly lacking relevant detail and is scaremongering.   Just what you want from a mainstream article.

The Tyson match is a Netflix exclusive, so it's not being broadcast by a traditional TV broadcaster, and it therefore doesn't need a Licence to view it.

If someone were wary of watching it live, they could choose not to do so and they then wouldn't "need a Licence for Netflix".   

cw18

Cornucopia said:

The Tyson match is a Netflix exclusive, so it's not being broadcast by a traditional TV broadcaster, and it therefore doesn't need a Licence to view it.

That's not my understanding of the rules, so I'm now totally confused.
Surely that would mean you don't need a licence to watch anything only shown on Sky?

My understanding was that if something is being shown at a specific time (scheduled) then it counts as live and needs a licence regardless of who's transmitting it.

Cornucopia

cw18 said:

Cornucopia said:

The Tyson match is a Netflix exclusive, so it's not being broadcast by a traditional TV broadcaster, and it therefore doesn't need a Licence to view it.

That's not my understanding of the rules, so I'm now totally confused.
Surely that would mean you don't need a licence to watch anything only shown on Sky?

My understanding was that if something is being shown at a specific time (scheduled) then it counts as live and needs a licence regardless of who's transmitting it.

Part of the issue is that the information provided by BBC/TVL is misleading typically by being over-simplified.

Also, they have successfully introduced the concept of "live" into things when it isn't the main consideration.

The basic rules are these:-

You need a Licence to

- watch/record TV broadcasts on Terrestrial, Satellite or Cable TV (so not Netflix)

- or watch the live streamed versions of those broadcasts (so not Netflix)

- or watch BBC TV on iPlayer (so not Netflix)


The reference to it being an Exclusive doesn't mean that an Exclusive never needs a Licence - that isn't what I meant, and it isn't true.   What it means is that the content is only being shown on Netflix, and not on a broadcast channel somewhere (and it being shown on a broadcast channel would make things possibly more complicated with regards to a TV Licence).

cw18

From the TVL website

Make sure you’re legally covered

A TV Licence covers you for:

• All TV channels, like BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Dave and international channels
• Pay TV services, like Sky, Virgin Media and BT
• Live TV on streaming services, like YouTube and Amazon Prime Video
• Everything on BBC iPlayer

This includes recording and downloading.
On any device.


Surely the reference to YouTube and Amazon Prime Video is now extended to include Netflix ??

Cornucopia

The reference says "Live TV", which is correct - it refers only to TV.   That would be TV channels on Youtube, like Sky News; and Amazon talks about TV channels amongst its live content.

The problem with the notion of it being all live streaming is that we already know it isn't all live streaming - it definitively doesn't include Parliamentlive.TV (it says so), and TVL have said it doesn't include things like user generated live streams on Youtube and Twitch.   There is also live stream content from radio stations and newspapers that doesn't need a Licence. 

So, the question is then: where is the line?   And we really do need a well-defined line if it means the difference between breaking the law and not breaking the law.   And by well-defined I mean a definition that is clear and logical in itself, that makes sense of the range of available content, and that is consistent with the legislation.    We aren't there, yet, and I think TVL's mission is to confuse and complicate things presumably to enhance Licence sales.