Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not know wtf I'm doing re: TV license

134 replies

ThePebbleCollector · 02/03/2016 10:28

I didn't have a TV license for years, was pretty cut and dry because I only watched dvds and catch up on the internet. Then OH moved in and we got one due to him wanting sky.

Now we have a firestick, we only have the telly on freeview for cbeebies (of which most programs we could easily locate on the firestick)

I can't find anywhere information on whether I need a TV license if we have a firestick and give up watching our freeview?
Another note - freeview is built into the TV (but I can't see that being an issue as long as we take the aerial out)

I know it says if you watch live TV then you need a license...but then than complicates things.. what if someone had Kodi installed on their firestick, which streams TV from all over the world? is that even a legal program?.. and I think is a minute or two behind normal TV... what then??

Don't want my OH to go full steam ahead into it all and then realise we actually do need it!

OP posts:
Original poster
ThePebbleCollector · 02/03/2016 11:47

I think ninja was saying she chooses to pay the to licence as a moral decision, because she uses the resources herself and wants to support it.

Yep totally understand that. But the comment about how I obviously can afford it because I'm not in poverty probably was what my issue was. Was only trying to suggest she actually didn't need to pay. If she wants to then that's fine and dandy with me :)

OP posts:
BeyondBootcampsAgain · 02/03/2016 11:48

Would i get a tv licence to watch an illegal streaming service, if i didnt watch 'regular' tv? Nope. The tv licence wont save you, should someone, somewhere decide to prosecute.

Whether your morals stretch to illegal streaming is a separate question :)

Original poster
ThePebbleCollector · 02/03/2016 11:49

and piss off isn't goady? Come off it.

Never said it wasn't, you made no contribution to the thread and decided to just make a comment to correct a word I was misspelling.

Only a certain kind of person does that. And it isn't one not looking for a reaction.

And you got one. I lose.

OP posts:
BeyondBootcampsAgain · 02/03/2016 11:49

Lot of arseholes on this thread! Grin
OP, youve clearly committed some grave sin that i have missed!

BillBrysonsBeard · 02/03/2016 11:49

Nah you don't need one OP. If I was rich then I would happily pay it even though we don't watch live tv, only iplayer on catchup. But if they repeatedly state on their website that you don't need one if you do this, then any family who who are watching the pennies would be mad to pay when they don't need to.

Original poster
ThePebbleCollector · 02/03/2016 11:50

BeyondBootcampsAgain Haha no that's why I've told him no Kodi, don't really want to be illegally streaming. If he wants to go to other people's houses to watch games fair enough, but I don't think it worth the risk for a few footy matches :)

OP posts:
Original poster
ThePebbleCollector · 02/03/2016 11:50

Thanks BillBrysonsBeard :)

OP posts:
ZiggyFartdust · 02/03/2016 11:52

You don't need a license.
What I'm wondering though is why you get to tell himself what he is or isn't allowed to download or watch. Not suggest or ask, you said you will "tell" him he can't.
If you were my partner I would be laughing at you thinking you could tell me such things (not that my dp would dream of doing so, and vice versa)

muddymary · 02/03/2016 11:55

I have no idea why people are pulling you up on spelling when your posts make perfect sense. They obviously haven't been taught that it's very ill mannered to do so.

We have Kodi and I don't think it's illegal. It's really good for watching American shows. I have no idea about the TV licence issue though - sorry!

Original poster
ThePebbleCollector · 02/03/2016 11:58

What I'm wondering though is why you get to tell himself what he is or isn't allowed to download or watch. Not suggest or ask, you said you will "tell" him he can't.

Again with the daft comments trying to make something out of a simple post into a massive debate about relationships. Mumsnet is rife with this shite.

Because he text me saying "reckon we can get that kodi and still have no tv license" (I pay the license out of my account at the minute)

I shall text back saying "no, its a bit of a grey area on the tv front and illegal streaming and not worth the risk"

He will more than likely say "Don't think we would get into trouble but fair doos" or something along that line.

Would be same the other way round if he was apposed to me doing something and it could affect us both.

People don't half try and see things worse than they are on here due to the way someone types. It's a minefield Hmm

OP posts:
Original poster
ThePebbleCollector · 02/03/2016 11:59

opposed licence before anyone gets in there before me :)

OP posts:
Outaboutnowt · 02/03/2016 12:01

OP I agree with you re the spelling thing (I have no idea about your licence/license Wink but I figure that's already been answered)

It really fucks me off on here when people pick up on minor spelling mistakes but contribute no actual help or answer to the OP. It's petty and rude. Just dropping in with a snarky comment about spelling comes across as bitchy.

I am mildly dyslexic and I'm sure I get words wrong a fair bit. I try my best but it's something I struggle with. It doesn't make me stupid or a bad person I'm just human and not perfect like everyone else.

Anyway just thought I'd back you up a bit. Clearly some people have nothing else to worry about than a random stranger on the Internet getting one letter wrong.

Original poster
ThePebbleCollector · 02/03/2016 12:02

muddymary

Thanks!

I thought it was illegal as I had a look through it and it looks like you can get ANYTHING so say you didn't have sky sports, you could just stream a football match online, either from sky sports, or an american channel. I mean if everyone had that people probably wouldn't bother paying for TV?

Although I doubt it streams EastEnders or anything haha. Maybe it is some kind of loophole that isn't technically illegal and I'm being over cautious?

OP posts:
ZiggyFartdust · 02/03/2016 12:03

Not worth what risk? What do you imagine would happen, the tv police will come swooping in through your windows?
It's not even illegal, let alone anything someone (who?) will catch you doing (and do what to you, do you imagine?)

It's clear you don't understand any of it.

So he says "reckon we can get that kodi and still have no tv license" which is true, and he's right.
And you say "no, its a bit of a grey area on the tv front and illegal streaming and not worth the risk" which is utter nonsense, doesn't actually answer his question, and there isn't any risk of anything anyway.

This thread is just silly.

IlikePercyPig · 02/03/2016 12:03

Kodi could be illegal depending what addons you install as the sport etc won't be from legal streaming sites, if they were you'd be paying.

Original poster
ThePebbleCollector · 02/03/2016 12:03

Outaboutnowt

Aww thanks! I probably shouldn't have told them to piss off, but in my head I was saying "wtf was the point of that comment"

Licence and Hilarious I tend to spell wrong all the time!

OP posts:
Original poster
ThePebbleCollector · 02/03/2016 12:04

Kodi could be illegal depending what addons you install as the sport etc won't be from legal streaming sites, if they were you'd be paying.

Oh I see, program is legal, what you do with it could be illegal... makes more sense why it's well advertised on the internet without a problem then!

OP posts:
Original poster
ThePebbleCollector · 02/03/2016 12:06

Ziggy

"reckon we can get that kodi and still have no tv license" should have had a ? at the end of it. He was asking me :)

If you think the thread is silly feel free to not contribute to it. I am overly cautious with stuff like that so I was wondering if there was anyone else who may stream via kodi, but also not have a licence.

I guess loads of people will find threads silly and just not bother with them.

I wasn't really required to provide a response to your judgey comment in the first place.

OP posts:
IlikePercyPig · 02/03/2016 12:08

Yeah the actual program is far from illegal, certain addons are illegal as they offer streams that bypass paywalls.

ZiggyFartdust · 02/03/2016 12:08

Yes, I know, but you didn't actually answer him, you don't actually know the answer, and you just told him no despite not knowing or understanding about any of it.

You started a thread to ask a question and then ignored all the answers, instead telling your dp your own wrong interpretation. I'm just wondering why bother?

Original poster
ThePebbleCollector · 02/03/2016 12:19

IlikePercyPig

Yep would seem That's the case, I thought Kodi provided the streams but just gives you access to them by the looks of it.

Asked my other half to look into what stream's their friends use and see how dodgy they are or not :).

Used to be well on it with all this stuff in the Napster days, now so many people use it you don't know if it's legal and just very convenient, or illegal but considered the norm!

Thank you!

OP posts:
OurBlanche · 02/03/2016 12:22

I hadn't heard of it so I went looking and, on reputable review sites, I found this:

"In conclusion, Kodi in its unaltered form is perfectly legal, but certain add-ons do blur things. If you’re already comfortable with watching streams on websites such as Putlocker, then using Kodi with particular add-ons is no different. If you aren’t, it’s worth steering clear of many of Kodi’s most popular extensions."

So I would assume that the stick itself is fine, it streams, you wouldn't have to watch live TV, so you would not need a licence. But you are right, he would be using it to access content he has no contract for and that would be illegal. However Trading Standards etc are going after the sellers not the users, at the moment.

Another learning day at MN Smile

IlikePercyPig · 02/03/2016 12:24

Well put it this way, if you want to watch Sky Sports etc in your own home you have to pay for it, Kodi enables you to watch it free.

It's not difficult to work out Grin

Original poster
ThePebbleCollector · 02/03/2016 12:28

OurBlanche

Thanks! Despite ziggy thinking I'm a bloody idiot that's pretty much what I was getting to :)

OP posts:
Coffeethrowtrampbitch · 02/03/2016 12:28

Like Percy says, Kodi isn't illegal. You can download addons for Kodi which will allow you to watch illegally streamed content, and those are illegal, but Kodi itself is perfectly OK to have.

The rules on TV licence enforcement have changed. As it is now a criminal offence rather than a civil one, to receive public content without it. You do not have to let any inspectors into your property, as if they suspect you of infringement they can get a court order to come and check, providing they have a reasonable suspicion you are viewing TV illegally.

So you would be fine to cancel your licence, even if you have Kodi, but you may want to discuss with DP which addons he gets, to ensure that he isn't viewing content which is illegal as you are unhappy about it being viewed in your home.