Can I cancel my TV licence but watch Wimbledon?

[BrainInAJar]

Hello all,

I'm really having to cut back on expenses. I've paid my TV licence for nearly 20 years and always considered it an essential. However these days I very rarely watch live TV and not much on the BBC. So if I stop that, I could stop my TV licence.

However would it be possible to take pay for just a month so I could watch Wimbledon? Or should I just go and watch it at someone else's house?

Thanks

There are no TV detection vans nowadays, there probably was something in the 60s and 70s when the only reason you would have a tv and aerial would be to watch BBC or ITV and the TV couldn't really be used for anything else. The detection vans didn't detect though but they were used as a deterrent, similar to how our county still has not removed non working Gatso speed cameras. Obviously this all changed in the 80s with the video player which you could use a TV for that without needing a licence.

We pay for the TV license, never watch live TV can't pick up freeview. And personally I think I watch about two episodes of Springwatch per year, and that's about it. There's sweet FA on the BBC. Bloody ridiculous.

No, they can't.

Capita has no idea which IP is assigned to any particular address, let alone an individual, and given that they can only pursue people for licence evasion and not addresses, whether they can actually detect which IP's have visited their iPlayer site or not is immaterial.

@BrainInAJar

Interesting point that they can't tie a burner email address or an ip address to an individual. I suppose I could have someone in my house merrily watching iplayer on a device on my wifi but entirely without my knowledge. Where would I stand then?

Of no consequence, because they still can't do a thing with that IP information, even if they can detect it in the first place.

The Labour Party will very likely keep the TV licence, the Tories much less likely, it comes up for renewal in 2027

I can't believe there's still people who think you need a TV licence to own a TV!! 🤣

For all of you in doubt about anything, you can easily find all the answers to all of your questions on the ChilliJonCarne YouTube channel and he's more interesting to watch than most of the shite on the BBC anyway!

Why do you still pay for it may I ask?!

No you can’t really OP. Up to you though, doubt you’d get caught.

We don’t have one here, no need. Used to get really shitty letters from them and they did visit once but they got the door in their face.

Because partner watches one of the dramas per year! It is daft. I get far more value from Channel 4!