Do I need to buy a license if I dont terrestrial TV?

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  • Swipe
    Swipe Posts: 5,085 Forumite
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    Maureen43 wrote: »
    Thanks All!

    She has now received a pretty threatening letter saying they are going to take action against her. However it is addressed to "the new occupant" so they don't have her name.

    Am I right in assuming (as you have said above) that:
    - she doesn't have to get in touch with them
    - she doesn't have to give them her name
    - she doesn't have to let them into her student flat or room
    - she can ignore future letters!

    I'd be grateful for your input.
    M.

    Yes, you are right
  • Ant555
    Ant555 Posts: 1,569 Forumite
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    edited 2 November 2017 at 2:24PM
    Maureen43 wrote: »
    Thanks All!

    She has now received a pretty threatening letter saying they are going to take action against her. However it is addressed to "the new occupant" so they don't have her name.

    Am I right in assuming (as you have said above) that:
    - she doesn't have to get in touch with them
    - she doesn't have to give them her name
    - she doesn't have to let them into her student flat or room
    - she can ignore future letters!

    I'd be grateful for your input.
    M.

    Is the letter addressed to the flat or the specific room number?
    I suspect its a fishing expedition by the local licensing authorities, this time of year 10,s of thousands of new students will be moving in to halls. FWIW my daughter moved to halls this year and hasn't got a license but she doesn't need one as she just watches Netflix and youtube.

    If there is NO tv in the flat or the room then there should be no issue whatever happens - just out of interest, does it specifically say WHY action will be taken against 'the occupier?'
  • dllive
    dllive Posts: 1,225 Forumite
    First Post Name Dropper First Anniversary I've been Money Tipped!
    Hi all

    Im looking to cut my monthly outgoings and wandering if Im paying for a tv license that I dont actually need.

    I currently have a tv license, a freeview box and netflix. However I hardly ever watch terrestrial tv (BBC etc...). Most of the time I watch either Netflix or freeview, but would be happy just to watch Netflix. I do use iPlayer (mostly radio) on my laptop.

    Given my situation above - do I need to have a tv license? If I ONLY watch netflix - do I still need a tv license?

    Things are very tight, so if I can save £12 per month then I will forego watching a bit of tv.

    Thanks

    Thanks
  • Cornucopia
    Cornucopia Posts: 16,154 Forumite
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    edited 20 January 2019 at 10:45AM
    If you only watch Netflix, you do not need a TV Licence.

    You can also listen to BBC Sounds (the new name for the Radio iPlayer) without a TV Licence.

    You can also watch the catchup services of commercial broadcasters without a TV Licence, except for the live stream channels that are sometimes supplied.

    https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/tv-licence/

    The official MSE article above explains it well.

    I would recommend that cancelling an existing Licence is done by phone. You can then claim any refund that might be due at the same time.
  • Inner_Zone
    Inner_Zone Posts: 2,853 Forumite
    dllive wrote: »
    Hi all

    Im looking to cut my monthly outgoings and wandering if Im paying for a tv license that I dont actually need.

    I currently have a tv license, a freeview box and netflix. However I hardly ever watch terrestrial tv (BBC etc...). Most of the time I watch either Netflix or freeview, but would be happy just to watch Netflix. I do use iPlayer (mostly radio) on my laptop.

    Given my situation above - do I need to have a tv license? If I ONLY watch netflix - do I still need a tv license?

    Things are very tight, so if I can save £12 per month then I will forego watching a bit of tv.

    Thanks

    Thanks


    But you don't appear to only view Netflix by your own admission!
  • Cornucopia
    Cornucopia Posts: 16,154 Forumite
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    Inner_Zone wrote: »
    But you don't appear to only view Netflix by your own admission!

    The OP says that s/he will "forego watching a bit of TV" to save some money, which I take to mean that once they find out the rules, they will adjust their viewing behaviour accordingly.
  • Inner_Zone
    Inner_Zone Posts: 2,853 Forumite
    But the OP does not appear to know the difference between terrestrial TV and Freeview.
  • Cornucopia
    Cornucopia Posts: 16,154 Forumite
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    Inner_Zone wrote: »
    But the OP does not appear to know the difference between terrestrial TV and Freeview.

    If they want to ask more questions to clarify their understanding, we are here to help. :)
  • dllive
    dllive Posts: 1,225 Forumite
    First Post Name Dropper First Anniversary I've been Money Tipped!
    Cornucopia wrote: »
    The OP says that s/he will "forego watching a bit of TV" to save some money, which I take to mean that once they find out the rules, they will adjust their viewing behaviour accordingly.

    Thanks. Youre exactly right: Once I know what I can watch without needing to pay for a TV license Ill know whether the compromise is worth it. Theres so much stuff on Netflix that Id be happy to watch just that. But if I can have Netflix AND freeview without needing a license then thats even better!

    I do listen to BBC Sounds. I can easily do without live streams, but I do like to catchup on documentaries etc on iPlayer.

    Ill read the link you posted and see if that clarifies things.
  • Cornucopia
    Cornucopia Posts: 16,154 Forumite
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    edited 20 January 2019 at 10:03PM
    dllive wrote: »
    Thanks. Youre exactly right: Once I know what I can watch without needing to pay for a TV license Ill know whether the compromise is worth it. Theres so much stuff on Netflix that Id be happy to watch just that. But if I can have Netflix AND freeview without needing a license then thats even better!
    Yes, that's what I thought.

    BTW and in deference to Inner Zone's comments above, "Freeview" normally means the live broadcasts of a set of 70 or so UK TV channels, received via a TV aerial into a Freeview TV or Set-top box. You need a Licence for those channels, and you need a Licence to receive TV in that way.

    SOME of the freeview channels also provide a catch-up service, which you can use without a Licence. Those services are ITV Hub, All4, My5/Demand5, UKTV Player. That's some (most) of the content from a bunch of Freeview channels, but technically not Freeview. (They can be called "Commercial Catch-up"). Certain versions of ITV Hub also include live channels (ITV 1-4), distributed over the Internet. Those channels DO require a TV Licence to watch.
    I do listen to BBC Sounds. I can easily do without live streams, but I do like to catchup on documentaries etc on iPlayer.
    Watching video content from iPlayer requires a Licence.
    Ill read the link you posted and see if that clarifies things.
    It's pretty good, and keeps a good and fair balance between what the BBC say about TV Licences, and the commentary on the topic from around the Internet.

    This article gives a breakdown of the major technical terms:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_television_in_the_United_Kingdom
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