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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To be delighted at proposed internet TV charge

24 replies

Fibilou · 27/07/2010 07:53

Background before I am accused of AIBU by stealth - I grew up in a TV free house. I did not have a TV until I got married to DH. I only watch programmes that I am really interested in and then usually only when I am doing ironing or something else. I very rarely sit and watch TV for the sake of it and would never sit and watch something I wasn't interested in (PIL will watch any old shite)

DH had a TV when we got married but we decided to get rid of it and did so about 2 years ago - the idea being that we would have a lot more time to do things if DH wasn't spending all his limited free time slumped in front of Snog, Marry, Avoid for the sake of watching something.

But now all he does is watch TV on the internet instead - he spent his last 3 days off watching it almost all the time he was awake. And expects me to be quiet while he is doing so as he has a problem with background noise. This leads to lots of rows as, as far as I am concerned, watching some crap on the TV does not take priority over clearing up the dinner things.

Anyway, I read yesterday that the Tories are looking at bringing in a TV licence for the internet and I believe you will have to enter the licence number when you want to watch.

AIBU to be ECSTATIC ? !!

OP posts:

Original poster

Fibilou · 27/07/2010 07:54

Sorry, I should say that we will not be buying a licence so will not be able to watch internet TV !

OP posts:

Firawla · 27/07/2010 07:57

what if your dh buys one?
i think you are a bit mean really to say like he cant have any tv if he obviously enjoys it, but does sound like he needs to learn to control his amount of viewing though

pebblejones · 27/07/2010 08:04

TV can be sociable too, my DH and I sat and watched Sherlock (very good by the way) the other day with a big bar of chocolate whilst DS was asleep. I agree the TV shouldn't be on ALL of the time, but by not having a television, you are forcing your husband to watch TV on the Internet which is a very unsociable thing to do. Buy him a television fgs and switch it off when there is nothing on you want to watch, just because you have one it doesn't mean it has to be on all of the time!

Original poster

Fibilou · 27/07/2010 08:06

Pebble, not having the TV was his idea, not mine.

OP posts:

Bingtata · 27/07/2010 08:07

YABU and slightly controlling too. If he was reading a book all evening would that be ok in your eyes? More worthy?

Original poster

Fibilou · 27/07/2010 08:09

More worthy than watching the same episode of Traffic Cops 3 times for the sake of watching something, anything ? Yes.

Actually I would rather that he finished the myriad of DIY jobs he has started and not finished or finished digging up the raised bed in the garden which is now full of cat poo.

OP posts:

Original poster

Fibilou · 27/07/2010 08:10

And I don't have a problem with him watching some TV, of course not, I do. What I have a problem with is him watching 12 hours of TV he isn't really interested in because he can't be arsed to do anything else.

OP posts:

fedupofnamechanging · 27/07/2010 08:12

I don't think this will solve your problem. Your DH will buy a licence and you will end up being cross that he is watching tv and it is costing you money.

Original poster

Fibilou · 27/07/2010 08:16

He won't, one of the reasons that we got rid of the TV originally was that he didn't want to pay the licence fee anymore and was acknowledged he was watching far too much (when we had sky he would watch TV for 15 hours a day for his entire set of 3 days off)

He won't buy a licence because he likes to think he does't watch much TV so it won't be worth the money. Anything he does want to watch he will just get him Mum to sky+

OP posts:

pebblejones · 27/07/2010 08:19

Aaahhh right Fibilou, so your original post is not about charging for TV on the Internet as such, it's how to stop your DH from being lazy watching it all day and to finish jobs he's started or things that need to be done around the house/garden... Even if they start to charge I doubt that will make your DH say 'ooh you know what I'll go sort out that flower bed'. Getting my DH to do stuff is a nightmare too, he will find anything to do rather than say mow the garden, take the bins out etc... Usually for some bizarre reason the moment there us a job to do he needs the toilet, sorry TMI.

fedupofnamechanging · 27/07/2010 08:19

Fair enough then. Hope you do get your DH to do the DIY. If you do learn the secret of how to get an unwilling man to finish jobs/do gardening, please share. My DH will do almost anything in an attempt to avoid our garden!

fedupofnamechanging · 27/07/2010 08:21

pebble - I too have noticed an urgent need for the loo when DH is needed to do something garden/house related

Original poster

Fibilou · 27/07/2010 08:24

No, Pebbles - if he just watched programmes he was genuinely interested in I wouldn't mind, he has a stressful job and works long hours. It just drives me bonkers when he sits there surfing for something to watch, finding nothing he wants to watch but watches something crap (like Snog Marry Avoid) to avoid doing anything else - and can't be asked to do anything else because "I'm watching this"

And because I have never got into watching TV for the sake of it I can't for the life of me imagine why he wants to waste his precious time off watching crud when he could be doing something interesting like playing with the 6 month old daughter he is always moaning he hardly sees, doing the allotment he is always moaning is never done or any numberof other more interesting pastimes

OP posts:

CheeseandGherkins · 27/07/2010 08:24

Maybe he watches more because you don't have one. If there was one there and readily available to watch perhaps the novelty would wear off.

I hope they don't introduce another fee for watching tv, I already pay for a license so really don't want to pay for another....

differentnameforthis · 27/07/2010 08:34

So, you pay to watch TV on the internet?

No, crap idea! You already to use the internet! So this is just asking people to pay twice, something which people will not be happy with!

pebblejones · 27/07/2010 08:35

Don't worry CandG your existing license will cover you and even then it's only for BBC, the government don't own the Internet and cannot charge willy nilly, surely? Sky charge already, but hey Sky charge for everything don't they, they are televisions answer to Ryan Air.
I don't know what you can do then Fibilou, maybe he will stop when the charge comes about. Fingers crossed for you.
And Karma, lol, not just my DH then!

DuelingFanjo · 27/07/2010 08:41

how the hell are the government going to do this? rolfl

Rockbird · 27/07/2010 08:46

He obviously does like watching TV but feels hassled into saying he doesn't. Buy a tv and then maybe the poor sod will feel able to do what he wants in his own home. He's presumably a grown up and you've stated several times that you don't get it, obviously he feels differently.

Original poster

Fibilou · 27/07/2010 08:50

Rockbird - if your husband only had rare days off, you had a 6 month old baby that he complained he never saw, he never finished the jobs he started and then spent the majority of his time off at home watching telly instead of doing the other things he moaned he never had time to do, could you honestly, with your hand on your heart, say you would be happy with that situation ? Really ?

OP posts:

TheCoalitionNeedsYou · 27/07/2010 09:01

This presumably will only apply to BBC content. So yes it is a good thing. Especially for expats, or indeed anyone else who wants to pay for it, it will save all the falling with proxies. You aren't paying twice, you already need a licence to watch live BBC tv streams.

smellmycheese · 27/07/2010 09:15

Fibilou, you've just described an average dh/p! Telly or no telly!

Rockbird · 27/07/2010 13:15

No of course but blaming tv isn't the way to go as that's obviously not the issue. I bet he'd find something else to spend his time on if it wasn't there.

SpringHeeledJack · 27/07/2010 13:24

Fibilou- you are being unreasonable but you are utterly right

me and dp ended up on Sunday flopped in front of the telly watching Father Ted for the 8 millionth time eating Peanut Tea and getting pissed...

(I draw a veil over all the times we end up going to bed really late cos we've watching shite like Police Camera Action and so on. Oh and with dp making up his own commentary in a bogus Manc accent)

BURN THE SCREENS! BURN THE SCREENS!

[mad bloodshot eyed emoticon]

emptyshell · 27/07/2010 14:30

I'm sick to death of paying for the BBC to produce such programming highlights as "Help! I hate my enormous breasts". I really begrudge the licence fee - I'd prefer it if they turned BBC services into a subscription model, I'd pay that, but at least it would be a voluntary choice rather than a bullying tax.

Men will turn into square eyed zombies if the TV is on - it's just one of those things - my husband will happily sit and watch from 6pm to 8pm of The Simpsons he's seen 30 times before every night if I don't chuck an occasional strop and demand to watch the news - it's just one of those things, at least partially dependant on how you were brought up I think - he was brought up in a family where they all actively WATCHED TV, I was brought up in one where it was on but just for background noise half of the time - I can take or leave it (quite like the peace and quiet during the day - or the radio... but Homes under the Hammer is a guilty secret pleasure). There are very few programmes I avidly follow - his family follow various imported US things very very closely - I still have the TV and cable channels (and V+, best invention that thing) because the option is nice for me to have.

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