TV license needed for live TV, but why?

TheLittleThings · 17 July 2019 at 12:27PM

Hi All,

So I know all the rules about having a TV license - you need one to watch or record any live TV - but my question is 'why'? I thought that other channels don't receive any money from the TV license (only BBC), and they all get funding from adverts. So to me it would make sense for them to be separate from the license.

Is it a case that to have access to the other channels via live TV you'd have to have access to the BBC so couldn't prove that you weren't watching it?

Thanks!

giraffe69 · 17 July 2019 at 1:04PM

The answer to why is that the law states that you need a licence to watch live TV or watch Iplayer. That may or may not be the right thing to do but it is the law.

JJ_Egan · 17 July 2019 at 1:10PM

Its a TV broadcast licence not a BBC licence .

wongataa · 17 July 2019 at 1:23PM

Partly it is a legacy reason. When TV first became a thing there was only one broadcaster in the UK - the BBC. The licence fee funded it. There was non of this advertising funding. Advertising funded channels only started much later.

As the BBC doesn't get any advertising income the licence fee has been kept to fund it.

You used to need a radio licence to listen to the radio too.

Rodders53 · 17 July 2019 at 3:13PM

TheLittleThings wrote: »

I thought that other channels don't receive any money from the TV license (only BBC),

You though wrong then: https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/topics/what-does-your-licence-fee-pay-for-top13

Part of the fee also contributes to the UK broadband rollout, funding local TV channels and S4C, the Welsh language TV channel, as was agreed with the government as part of the 2010 licence fee settlement.

Neil_Jones · 17 July 2019 at 4:23PM

The local TV funding arrangements are ending soon, most startups only had it for three years and in most cases this has now expired.

Also remember the licence fee funds the BBC radio stations, the World Service and the online portals - iPlayer and what not.

Retrogamer · 17 July 2019 at 5:28PM

I wonder what the BBC will do going forward.

I don't know many people under 30 these days that watch anything on TV as it's being broadcast, or who use iPlayer.

It's all Netflix and other on demand services.

oldernonethewiser · 17 July 2019 at 5:48PM

"I wonder what the BBC will do going forward."

I genuinely don't believe the Corporation knows.

They have tried competing in areas where they can't and probably shouldn't and much of their programming seems to have strayed well away from the Public Service ethos.

Still not missing not having a TV, but it's only been a month.

PasturesNew · 17 July 2019 at 5:52PM

I'm in the throes of giving up my license. It does seem a bizarre ruling. There's not much I use BBC for these days, except a couple of programmes I will be annoyed I can no longer watch (e.g. Who Do You Think You Are).

Most of the time these days the BBC's got nothing to offer when I look through in the evenings on iPlayer.

As for not watching other channels live, there are some programmes which don't appear on their catchup services.

I'm going to give it a go without a license and see if I miss BBC at all. I'm not one to be interested in watching live TV as such, so long as I can catchup with things I'm happy enough using the other channels on that basis.

I know that if I do want to watch BBC/iplayer I can always reverse my decision and buy a license again, but I bet I don't end up missing it.

I guess, in part, I'm miffed that I can only watch one telly at a time - whereas others pay the same license fee and have 12 tellies on the go in their houses! I bet the Queen's got 150 in her Castle, for her staff...... I bet she's not paying for 150 licenses. Also, I had a sibling who lived alone - but had to work 100 miles away for work, so rented a bedsit - she had to pay for TWO licenses, yet she was only ever in one location at a time potentially watching one TV.

worried_jim · 17 July 2019 at 5:54PM

wongataa wrote: »

As the BBC doesn't get any advertising income the licence fee has been kept to fund it.

It certainly does! My vpn places my pc in Stockholm and the BBC website has plenty of ads for Cathy Pacific etc on it!

oldernonethewiser · 17 July 2019 at 6:06PM

Licence - noun

License - verb

Small thing but so easy to get right, or indeed wrong.

TV license needed for live TV, but why?

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