Why the F should I tell BBC every year that I don’t watch TV ?

for the same reason plenty of people don't subscribe to Netflix, sky, Amazon prime tv and various other things, there are lots of options and people choose not to take up a particular one because they would rather spend their time and money on other things.

I’m a partner in a law firm. I’m nothing to do with the BBC. You think saying folk are wrong means I work for the BBC?!?

why? 46

I’m old actually

These are no better than other dramas on bbc, itv etc. I watch them too but why shut off one channel of well made and interesting shows?!

I’m intrigued how old you are @SALaw as I think it probably partly explains your belief on this thread

What does she do to justify her 445k salary ? Not that I really care because not a penny comes from my pocket

point being she was on 900k last year, so why the decrease ?

you definitely sound like a BBC employee

Streaming services aren't that cheap, I must pay at least £20-£25 a month to get rid of adverts, that is just extra for ad free, all TV is expensive now unless you want to sit through a load of ads. The days of cheap telly are over

So funny to say broaden your horizons to the person advocating NOT saying they wouldn’t watch an entire channel for bandwagon jumping reasons. My horizons are broad. I watch a variety of tv and film on loads of channels, unshackled by some perceived superiority over the BBC. I read, I travel, I listen to radio and podcasts, bbc and non bbc.

Ah, here comes the ageism. I was expecting it.

If you're not watching the BBC you may not be aware that they make new wildlife programmes all the time, attracting large audiences around the world and generating a lot of revenue for them. I'm sure National Geographic is very good but the BBC Wildlife Unit is also world class. Can't see what there is to be gained from pretending otherwise.

I can't believe people still fall for the intimidation.

The BBC forelock tugging demographic is reducing rapidly, and they aren’t keeping up with the times

Why are you so obsessed with the bbc? I don't watch it as it doesn't interest me, I prefer to read.

How old are you @SALaw ?

@SALaw
i literally have hundreds of quality choices of all genres and categories to watch without having to use BBC
If you dip in and out of several streaming services, it’s still much cheaper than the BBC and many of them are free to view anyway like the main channel catch ups it’s simply ridiculous to suggest that people can’t possibly live without watching it. You sound like a BBC or Crapita employee

If you don’t watch tv then you’re not going to seek out or even be aware of what programmes are on.

In the same way that, as someone who doesn’t bet on horse racing I don’t look to see what horses are running. I have no interest!

You could write to your MP, or write to Lisa Nandy who is the culture secretary, though the government just do as they want anyway, there is probably a petition about it but since they ignored the one about the digital ID, I doubt it would make a difference. Vote for Reform is probably the best option but many here won't do that so they will just put up with it.

So that's a yes that you automatically think everyone is lying? I think that says a lot about you and it's pretty close minded to think people simply cannot survive without the content produced by the BBC. It's actually pretty easy to still spend hours each week watching tv even without the BBC. Maybe you should check out other options to see what you're missing out on.

I have set the WiFi ssid in my van to TV-DETECTOR-VAN. Wonder how many people have panicked and turned off eastenders when I'm stopped outside 😂

Yes it’s pretty easy to do. The content isn’t that great. I prefer other series, watching Slow Horses atm and Guinness one since you asked in pp.

You should broaden your horizons!

Are you the person who drafts the “we know you’re a liar, pay up or else” letters which those of us who don’t have a licence keep getting?

Haven’t needed a tv licence for years, to begin with I’d fill in the no tv needed declaration form but now I just let them waste the paper on the ridiculous letters.
also these threads always have people accusing others of you must secretly watch the bbc/live tv illegally!? It’s possible to exist without the both, I haven’t watched either for about 15 years

I haven’t had a license in years

I have received many a letter telling me the consequences of not having a license but watching the bbc but no requirement to “tell” the bbc I don’t

I have just recycled the letter
and That’s been the end of it

I have to say I find it hard to believe this too, but it's probably generational. My children (in their 30s) rarely watch live TV or listen to the radio, whereas my husband and I do both and we don't pay for any streaming services (at the moment - that's our choice for now and may change). It's a massive change from previous generations. I used to love it back in the 70s when there were hardly any channels (BBC1, BBC2 and ITV) and when you went into school you'd find that almost everybody had watched the same programme the night before and we'd all be talking about it. Those days are long gone now.