To ask if you're going to buy a tv license if you don't have a tv?

[Attethersend43]

New law is coming in this September forcing those who watch iplayer on devices to buy a tv license.

I don't have a tv and watch iplayer very rarely...

Should I buy a license?

So all these non licence holders are not that bothered about seeing the finals of the World Cup, Wimbledon or Eurovision as it happens?

I love the tone of surprise

No, neither me nor DP can stand sport and on the rare occasions I've seen Eurovision, it's been at someone else's house for a Eurovision party.

Haven't had a TV for over a decade and no plans to get one. My problem is that if it's there I'll watch it, and it's an attention sump.

We do let DD watch CBeebies on iPlayer though so if we're going to let her continue her Topsy And Bloody Tim habit we'll have to get a licence on 1 September. Currently in discussion with DP over whether it's worth it or if she'll just have to go cold turkey on the Topsy. Probably wouldn't be a bad thing...

If I pay the license fee, will the BBC stop getting the work experience kid to write the content for the news website? I'm not sure they need to go all out and employ journalists but some sort of basic fact checking and checking for sense and chronology wouldn't go amiss.

I'm pretty sure that the Murdoch-Times and the Murdoch-Sun will criticise it. They are very anti-BBC.

by chance, Murdoch-SKY also offers TV.

Yeah, but Murdoch's SKY owns the rights to Game of Thrones.....

Well worth paying for.

I have to say I object to it, we never watch live tv, we have Amazon Fire tv with Netflix so absolute no need for live tv but still have to pay licence without ever watching bbc or listening to the radio etc ...

Oh shit, someone mentioned Sky. I forgot to pay my Sky subscription this month. I don't watch Sky, or have a receiver that obtains Sky broadcasting... but other people watch Sky, and I occasionally look at the SkyNews site, so really I should pay £600+ a year for it, shouldn't I?

No?

I think I actually got a Sky leaflet through the post last week, so I need to pay the subscription fee now, don't I?

OK, but I still don't understand why there is so much hatred for the BBC. Other posters have mentioned the "fat cats", but you get them in just about every organisation. Are we all going to cancel our bank accounts, accounts with other media providers because they also have " fat cats"?

I'm shocked about how many people don't have a TV licence. I genuinely thought most people did except for some shady charcaters and poor students. I understand if a person doesn't watch tv at all but if they do and want to continue then I think it's only fair that they contribute. Although it would be better if you could just pay for odd series if you are not a big consumer.

We have never owned a TV, although the DCs watch DVDs on the laptop and I watch the odd documentary on catchup. So no, we won't be buying a TV licence or watching iplayer at all. If they were willing to bring in some pay-per-view system, I might have thought about it, but I'm not paying £145+ for the odd documentary. I can get that for free on 4OD or Youtube.

NicknameUsed
Well, there's the accusing, threatening and intimidatory letters(e.g. "we called today to help you start watching tv legally")

People turning up on your doorstep demanding that you let them in, and pretending they have a right to access your property

The utter refusal to accept that some people don't want their services and that they are therefore criminals

Taking hundreds of thousands of single mothers people to court every year and making damn sure all those folks get their names put in the papers . Because tv licence dodging is not a recordable offence.

Not locking down their services so they can continue to hound the legally licence free and prosecute those that can't afford the licence as well as the much smaller number who are actively dodging.

All for 2 fucking tv stations. Call me old-fashioned, but this seems utterly bonkers.

As we have always paid our licence we have never been hounded, so I can't comment on that.

I don't have a license, we don't ever watch live tv. And the iplayer app has always been horrific for us, so no loss.

Is it only £145 a year ? Had no idea as I think that's the best value for money I get! Mostly watch / listen to bbc - would happily pay more - it's so good!

All for two fucking tv stations

BBC1, BBC2, BBC3, BBC4, BBC News, BBC Parliament, BBC Alba, CBBC, CBeebies, radio 1, radio 2, radio 3, radio 4, radio 5, 6 Music, local radio stations, iPlayer, web content.

Yup, definitely just for two tv stations.

I think they should be really strict and fine and pursue those who do not have licenses with the money going to the BBC - it must never go commercial. Too many people wanting something for nothing, bet they would happily spent the licence fee and more on Latte's or smoothies and such?

All those that don't have licenses or just those that have a license and watch TV, blueamber

And yes I do happily spend the license fee on my gym membership. Do you have an issue with that?

I know.

WTF did no one tell me I was supposed to be drinking Lattes. Or watching TOWIE and Celeb BB for that matter.

I think ultimately this is not going to work for them, as more and more people are not watching TV the traditional way. I think they imagine loads of people who occasionally use IPlayer will rush out to buy a licence, but from looking on here, more people seem to be saying 'No I will just stop using it/delete the app'. Their viewing figures will actually go down, as a pp said. They are a bit daft to insist on the full licence or nothing, and not offer any alternatives, it's shooting themselves in the foot really.

I think eventually they are going to be forced to go down the subscription route, and also reduce what they offer. Unless the government agrees to fund them out of general taxation. It's a real shame if the BBC were to dwindle, personally I watch it most days and think they produce some great stuff. But in the future the TV licence model is not really sustainable.

I too am astonished at all the people who don't have a license. The BBC produce so much quality stuff whether online or on the TV or radio, it still has to be paid for and to enjoy it without paying like the rest of us is v cheeky.

to enjoy it without paying like the rest of us is v cheeky.

Do you pay for a license even though you don't watch live broadcast TV?

I think you should have to put in a code for your licence fee to access the iPlayer or the catch up to on other channels or have to pay.

I do pay for the BBC btw- just not via the TV license.

Netflix/Now/Yadda yadda all pay money to the BBC to broadcast any of the Beeb/CBeebies stuff that we watch via our paid-for on demand services.

Just thought that was worth pointing out for anyone getting confused between Netflix and decidedly less moral streaming services such as putlocker.

There's no "cheek" involved. It's just a different approach to telly watching.

I love the bbc. It isn't perfect but it rightly remains the envy of the world and the quality of the output is very consistent. Don't pay for it as you wish. If you hate the bbc so much it's hardly a difficult decision to delete the app and never think of them again.