As the bill payer in my household, one of my monthly bills, as it is with the majority of households, is the National television licence fee. You know the one, the one where we have to pay for the privilege of the BBC. For those of you lucky enough to live at home with parents, or who just refuse to pay it, the licence fee is £145.50 per year for a colour TV licence. That’s no small chunk of change. This, of course, is a legal requirement for anyone with a television set who watches TV as its broadcast. Note the term ‘as its broadcast’ as this will be relevant later.
So regardless of whether you watch TV via freeview, satellite TV, cable TV or using your computer; you are required to hold a valid TV licence. But wait a minute, what if you don’t watch live television? What if you prefer to watch what you want, when you want? Well if your preferred method is via Sky+ or a similar function, you will still need to have a TV licence. But if you watch your shows on a platform similar to the BBC’s iPlayer or Channel 4’s 4oD service, you do not require a licence as you are not watching TV ‘as it is broadcast’. Can everyone say ‘loophole’?
On demand television is undoubtedly the future of the genre. Who wants to be stuck to watching a TV show at a certain time when you can catch it when you have a spare moment? On demand is the ultimate tool in flexibility, and allows you to schedule your time doing other things. The On demand services are improving at a rapid rate. The BBC’s iPlayer has typically been a front-runner when it comes to usability and style, but the other major channels are catching up quickly, as they are realising that On demand TV is a huge viewing platform. BBC’s iPlayer service reportedly pulls in over 100 million requests per month. That’s a massive amount of programs being watched online.
Obviously there are many negatives with ripping up your TV licence. For a start, you won’t be able to watch and shows that are only available on subscription services like Sky or Virgin due to the fact you must have a Sky subscription to watch these (and you need a TV licence if you have a Sky subscription). You will also not be able to watch any live events. So kiss goodbye to any live sport, music, Royal weddings, news reports, breaking news etc. Whilst you may think this would be ok, can you imagine not being to turn on the TV whilst a monumental event is happening like the earthquakes in Japan, the 9/11 bombings, the War in Iraq? When someone asks you ‘Where were you when…..’, you would have to reply ‘at home watching last weeks Eastenders.
Undoubtedly the licensing agency will change to terms and conditions of the licence fee as the popularity and availability of On demand or internet services become more common place. But until then you have a legitimate chance to save yourself £145 a year and cancel that TV licence. Personally, I will begrudgingly continue to pay the fee, and enjoy the hours upon hours of live sport I watch each month. But what are your thoughts on this? Could you go on with just On demand content?
I never knew about this fee those of you across the pond are forced to pay. So astonished. I think you’re right, though. On Demand programming is so convenient, but like you, I’m not quite ready to give up live, important programming. But especially MLB. I’m a sucker for New York sports in general! 🙂
Let me guess, Yankee’s, Knicks and Jets?
Giants, not Jets! 🙂 I’ll never route for them teehee. But you were dead on with the others!
It’s interesting. This doesn’t apply to everyone in New York, but there’s a strong correlation amongst sport fans here:
Yankees fans support the Giants
Mets fans support the Jets
I dunno why it is this way, but trust me, it applies to most people I’ve encountered throughout my life!
They also need to make the TV Licence fair, you can watch BBC’s iPlayer in Europe for half the price that it is here!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2020243/BBC-iPlayer-launches-Europe–costs-half-price-licence-fee.html
It won’t be long until they include iPlayer in the licence fee somehow. I wouldn’t mind if the BBC invested in something decent but they just churn out random crap.
I don’t like the way we are forced to pay for it, but lets face it we are hardly going to bin a our new flat panel TVs for a laptop or tablet.
However in the whole I think we are very fortunate to have such a world-wide respected organisation such as the BBC. OK some of the TV programming can be a little crap at times, and I can’t remember the last time I watched BBC1 on a Saturday night, but I never watch the other channels live because the increasing number of adverts they seem to be cramming in, its like watching TV the the states. But as a new parent I for one owe the BBC and it’s cbeebies channel a lot of gratitude, its nice to know when you have to entertain the kids for half an hour they are not brainwashed by ads.
And lets not forget I’m sure everyone at some point in the week switches on a BBC radio station (also funded by the license fee).
All in all I have no complaints about paying the fee after you think how much use we get from the BBC
Gary