5 ms·

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-deman

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
        >having a laptop or tablet in the house, as that's a means of receiving live TV. // Well that's probably why the law was updated (if indeed it was) - the same rules used to apply to PC TV-tuner cards too though, having a tuner card was considered "receiving means" and meant license was needed for any premises where that computer was plugged in. We have a TV but haven't had broadcast TV for many years, since our aerial blew down and we had no money to get it fixed - we stopped paying the license then as we no longer had receiving means. Just watch DVDs, iPlayer and the like (and use it for Wii). As an aside, you can use a laptop to watch live TV anywhere (in UK), as long as you have a license for your "home"; but if you plug it in (eg to charge) then the premises you're at need a license!
        corin_ 12y ago
        So even if you don't plug in, say you're on a train or in a park, you can't legally watch live TV without a license for your home? I remember 15 years ago people (not many admittedly) having battery-powered handheld TVs - if a homeless person were to use one of those on the street would he be breaking the law?
- lione 12y ago
  Yes. As long as it's not live, you don't need a license.
- jiggy2011 12y ago
  It is legal to watch shows that have already been broadcast without a license, and it's legal to watch netflix/DVDs without a license. It is only illegal to watch or record live TV broadcast without a license. This applies regardless of whether you use a TV or BBC iPlayer to receive the broadcast. IANAL etc.
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.

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
      >having a laptop or tablet in the house, as that's a means of receiving live TV. // Well that's probably why the law was updated (if indeed it was) - the same rules used to apply to PC TV-tuner cards too though, having a tuner card was considered "receiving means" and meant license was needed for any premises where that computer was plugged in. We have a TV but haven't had broadcast TV for many years, since our aerial blew down and we had no money to get it fixed - we stopped paying the license then as we no longer had receiving means. Just watch DVDs, iPlayer and the like (and use it for Wii). As an aside, you can use a laptop to watch live TV anywhere (in UK), as long as you have a license for your "home"; but if you plug it in (eg to charge) then the premises you're at need a license!
      - corin_ 12y ago
        So even if you don't plug in, say you're on a train or in a park, you can't legally watch live TV without a license for your home? I remember 15 years ago people (not many admittedly) having battery-powered handheld TVs - if a homeless person were to use one of those on the street would he be breaking the law?
lione 12y ago
Yes. As long as it's not live, you don't need a license.
jiggy2011 12y ago
It is legal to watch shows that have already been broadcast without a license, and it's legal to watch netflix/DVDs without a license. It is only illegal to watch or record live TV broadcast without a license. This applies regardless of whether you use a TV or BBC iPlayer to receive the broadcast. IANAL etc.

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.