6 ms·

For those of us outside the UK, they are required to pay for a license when they own a TV and watch live television. It's about $215 a year. http://www.tvlicen

by jayess 12y ago

For those of us outside the UK, they are required to pay for a license when they own a TV and watch live television. It's about $215 a year. http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/topics/technology--devices-and-online-top8?WT.ac=home_plt_technology http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/topics/te...

hackerboos 12y ago
It's currently a criminal offense to watch broadcast TV in your home without one. There is legislation moving through parliament to make this a civil offense as magistrate courts are swamped with these cases. http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/sep/24/in-court-non-payment-tv-licence-television-desperate-cases http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/sep/24/in-court-non-...
- nmeofthestate 12y ago
  It's an offense to watch or record transmitted television stations in your home without a TV license. But it's perfectly legal to own a TV and use the on-demand portions of iPlayer (everything apart from viewing the currently-being-broadcast channel streams), Netflix, Google Play, 4od, Demand 5, DVDs, Blurays, etc etc. This is what I do. The TV Licensing website has a page where you can provide them with your reasons for not owning a TV license. This page explains (implicitly) all the things you can do sans license. And, hopefully, filling this in makes them less likely to pester you (I haven't had any contact from the licensing people). Here is the text from TV Licensing: You need to be covered by a valid TV Licence if you watch or record TV as it's being broadcast. This includes the use of devices such as a computer, laptop, mobile phone or DVD/video recorder. Note how the second sentence arguably introduces confusion. You don't need a license if you use a computer but don't "Watch or record TV as it's being broadcast".
  - tomp 12y ago
    Wait, I can't quite parse your last statement... is it legal to watch BBC on demand and Netflix/DVDs without a licence, or not? (I suspect the former, but then I know nothing about this law.)
    - k-mcgrady 12y ago
      You can watch on demand without a license - but not the live stream part of BBC iPlayer, that requires the license.
    - tomtoise 12y ago
      It is legal. The only time a license is required is when you're streaming 'live' television by any means. Effectively what this means is you can't dodge a license to watch television by watching live (By live I mean stuff that would be on the TV if you turned it on at that moment) TV through your iplayer. In Britain (not sure about other places), the iPlayer has a button to allow you to tune in to live TV. It's when you click that button you are in breach of licensing law. The whole thing is stupid and archaic, but that's the price we pay for ad-free state TV.
      - pbhjpbhj 12y ago
        There seems to have been some progress here, last time I read the relevant Act I'd swear that it referred to the legality of having "receiving means" (not sure on that wording, I do have bad memory!!). So you were technically in breach if you had a TV with an aerial, it wasn't necessary to show you watched it? Am I misremembering? This change is actual encouraging for me as the new box I got to use for catch up services I think allows live TV (as a paid extra) and so I was concerned I might be accused of being in breach of the Act, but it seems not. Always nice to know.
        tomtoise 12y ago
        IANAL, but it seems a little bit of a silly idea to criminalize owning a TV. For that matter, 'receiving means' surely also includes having a laptop or tablet in the house, as that's a means of receiving live TV. I'm not saying you're wrong, I know that I had to buy a TV license when I moved in with my SO, but I'm not sure if that's because we bought a TV (we never watch it) or if my SO just did the necessary paperwork out of habit.
        pbhjpbhj 12y ago
  - nmeofthestate 12y ago
    (for 'tomp') yes it's legal to use iPlayer with no license, apart from that part of iPlayer where you can watch what's showing right now on for example BBC1. Netflix has no equivalent of a broadcast channel so all of it is usable without a license.
- spacecowboy_lon 12y ago
  hevily lobbied for by the UK's news papers espesialy Rupert Murdoch (fox news) who all hate the BBC
  - raverbashing 12y ago
    Yeah, because not paying for TV license absolutely fits the definition of a crime, right?
    - corin_ 12y ago
      Well the definition of a crime is whatever the law states, so yes it does fit, the same as not paying required income tax does. You're welcome to argue it shouldn't be - either that license fees shouldn't be charged at all, or that it should be changed from a criminal to a civil matter (as another comment said is happening) - but argue one of those rather than just saying it isn't a crime.
      - raverbashing 12y ago
        It also helps not arguing it's bad because some groups are in favour of it (though you're not the one who raised this) I'm against paying for a license to watch TV, that's my stance, for the simple reason you can have a TV for more reasons than just watching broadcast TV.
        spacecowboy_lon 12y ago
        Yeh right I belive you just as torrents are used just for dowloading ISO's of distros.
        DanBC 12y ago
        You only need a licence to watch hroadcast TV. Youcan own a telly and use it to watch DVD / bluray or play console games without a licence.
  - refurb 12y ago
    Hasn't the TV license been around far longer than Fox News?
rmc 12y ago
It's common in many countries, but done in slightly different ways. In Ireland, one must have a licence if you own a TV that could recieve broadcast signal, regardless if you want it. Otherwise people would claim they don't watch live TV and not have to pay.
nske 12y ago
I'm surprised they even need to clarify that it is ok to play video games without a license (why on earth would it not be ;p). I'm also surprised that they require a license for viewing any live internet stream produced by any (even foreign) producer, without having a UK license -even if the actual producer wants to make it freely available! Paying a third, totally irrelevant entity in order to enjoy the online streaming of a foreign TV channel that doesn't require one, just doesn't make sense. I happily pay for a TV license because I am happy with the quality of BBC, however if I wasn't watching on-line TV streams from parties that actually benefit from the licensing fees, I would blatantly ignore that law and troll them.

by jayess 12y ago

hackerboos 12y ago

It's currently a criminal offense to watch broadcast TV in your home without one. There is legislation moving through parliament to make this a civil offense as magistrate courts are swamped with these cases. http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/sep/24/in-court-non-payment-tv-licence-television-desperate-cases http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/sep/24/in-court-non-...

nmeofthestate 12y ago
It's an offense to watch or record transmitted television stations in your home without a TV license. But it's perfectly legal to own a TV and use the on-demand portions of iPlayer (everything apart from viewing the currently-being-broadcast channel streams), Netflix, Google Play, 4od, Demand 5, DVDs, Blurays, etc etc. This is what I do. The TV Licensing website has a page where you can provide them with your reasons for not owning a TV license. This page explains (implicitly) all the things you can do sans license. And, hopefully, filling this in makes them less likely to pester you (I haven't had any contact from the licensing people). Here is the text from TV Licensing: You need to be covered by a valid TV Licence if you watch or record TV as it's being broadcast. This includes the use of devices such as a computer, laptop, mobile phone or DVD/video recorder. Note how the second sentence arguably introduces confusion. You don't need a license if you use a computer but don't "Watch or record TV as it's being broadcast".
- tomp 12y ago
  Wait, I can't quite parse your last statement... is it legal to watch BBC on demand and Netflix/DVDs without a licence, or not? (I suspect the former, but then I know nothing about this law.)
  - k-mcgrady 12y ago
    You can watch on demand without a license - but not the live stream part of BBC iPlayer, that requires the license.
  - tomtoise 12y ago
    It is legal. The only time a license is required is when you're streaming 'live' television by any means. Effectively what this means is you can't dodge a license to watch television by watching live (By live I mean stuff that would be on the TV if you turned it on at that moment) TV through your iplayer. In Britain (not sure about other places), the iPlayer has a button to allow you to tune in to live TV. It's when you click that button you are in breach of licensing law. The whole thing is stupid and archaic, but that's the price we pay for ad-free state TV.
    - pbhjpbhj 12y ago
      There seems to have been some progress here, last time I read the relevant Act I'd swear that it referred to the legality of having "receiving means" (not sure on that wording, I do have bad memory!!). So you were technically in breach if you had a TV with an aerial, it wasn't necessary to show you watched it? Am I misremembering? This change is actual encouraging for me as the new box I got to use for catch up services I think allows live TV (as a paid extra) and so I was concerned I might be accused of being in breach of the Act, but it seems not. Always nice to know.
      - tomtoise 12y ago
        IANAL, but it seems a little bit of a silly idea to criminalize owning a TV. For that matter, 'receiving means' surely also includes having a laptop or tablet in the house, as that's a means of receiving live TV. I'm not saying you're wrong, I know that I had to buy a TV license when I moved in with my SO, but I'm not sure if that's because we bought a TV (we never watch it) or if my SO just did the necessary paperwork out of habit.
        pbhjpbhj 12y ago
- nmeofthestate 12y ago
  (for 'tomp') yes it's legal to use iPlayer with no license, apart from that part of iPlayer where you can watch what's showing right now on for example BBC1. Netflix has no equivalent of a broadcast channel so all of it is usable without a license.
spacecowboy_lon 12y ago
hevily lobbied for by the UK's news papers espesialy Rupert Murdoch (fox news) who all hate the BBC
- raverbashing 12y ago
  Yeah, because not paying for TV license absolutely fits the definition of a crime, right?
  - corin_ 12y ago
    Well the definition of a crime is whatever the law states, so yes it does fit, the same as not paying required income tax does. You're welcome to argue it shouldn't be - either that license fees shouldn't be charged at all, or that it should be changed from a criminal to a civil matter (as another comment said is happening) - but argue one of those rather than just saying it isn't a crime.
    - raverbashing 12y ago
      It also helps not arguing it's bad because some groups are in favour of it (though you're not the one who raised this) I'm against paying for a license to watch TV, that's my stance, for the simple reason you can have a TV for more reasons than just watching broadcast TV.
      - spacecowboy_lon 12y ago
        Yeh right I belive you just as torrents are used just for dowloading ISO's of distros.
      - DanBC 12y ago
        You only need a licence to watch hroadcast TV. Youcan own a telly and use it to watch DVD / bluray or play console games without a licence.
- refurb 12y ago
  Hasn't the TV license been around far longer than Fox News?

rmc 12y ago

It's common in many countries, but done in slightly different ways. In Ireland, one must have a licence if you own a TV that could recieve broadcast signal, regardless if you want it. Otherwise people would claim they don't watch live TV and not have to pay.

nske 12y ago

I'm surprised they even need to clarify that it is ok to play video games without a license (why on earth would it not be ;p). I'm also surprised that they require a license for viewing any live internet stream produced by any (even foreign) producer, without having a UK license -even if the actual producer wants to make it freely available! Paying a third, totally irrelevant entity in order to enjoy the online streaming of a foreign TV channel that doesn't require one, just doesn't make sense. I happily pay for a TV license because I am happy with the quality of BBC, however if I wasn't watching on-line TV streams from parties that actually benefit from the licensing fees, I would blatantly ignore that law and troll them.