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?

[JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff]

I'm not dismissive at all. I just don't use it. It would be like paying road tax whilst not owning a car.

I think they ought to reframe it as a BBC support levy or something. I might pay that. But not at £145 for literally some Olympics coverage every four years and the occasional foray onto the BBC news page.

[alexhurton1994]

I will still be buying a TV licence. I mainly watch things on iPlayer and around 80% of the shows I enjoy are BBC. I also enjoy not having adverts on the BBC, it's the main reason I like it.

[Toxicity]

I will pay, in the last few days I have watched hours and hours of Olympics, I regularly use the BBC website and some of the best comedies ever were on the BBC channels.

The thought of the BBC channels having adverts is a depressing one!

[AaronBleurgh]

How will it work? I don't live in the UK and watch iPlayer via a VPN. Will they just ask if I have a license like they do now? To which I just lie and say, yes?

[powershowerforanhour]

I have no TV just a laptop, but have just bought a licence and am happily binge watching the olympics. I wouldn't bother watching if they stopped for ads every 5 minutes. I watch some wildlife and science stuff on catchup plus GBBO, and my young baby seems to be fascinated by TV so I think cbeebies will be great to have. I know you don't need a licence for radio but I listen to a lot of radio Ulster and radio 4. I will definitely get £145 worth of enjoyment out of the BBC per year.
I reckon if we get rid of the licence fee and the BBC has to have ads, that will let the handbrake off the other commercial channels and they will start having far more ads like American TV- opening credits, a few minutes' worth of programme at a time punctuated by more ads, then more ads, closing credits, ads. The ad frequency on ITV and C4 is bearable now, but an increased frequency would render TV unwatchable for me.

[ginghamstarfish]

Another one here who resents the licence - I wouldn't have one and would willingly give up live TV, but DH insists it's the 'right thing' to pay for one. Hardly ever watch BBC except for the odd drama/documentary, and it is certainly not unbiased! The TV licence is completely outdated and the system needs to change. BBC should be a separate chargable entity now, not penalising everyone with live TV regardless of whether they want BBC or not.

[JohnLithgowsLargeForehead]

No not getting one... Not paying that much just to watch the odd Masterchef and bakeoff. There are other ways of watching them..

[ginghamstarfish]

I trust that the BBC will also be putting a stop to people all around the world watching via VPN?

[wasonthelist]

Deleted iplayer from all my devices. Haven't had a licence for more than 2 years and can't say I miss live TV. I will miss Question Time and Only Connect but not paying £145 for those. Don't approve of huge salaries and big payoffs for failure from a compulsory licence. Netflix is advert free - even more so than the BBC - BBC trailers for everything between every programme used to get wearing.

[Lasvegas]

I don't have a TV licence - don't watch BBC. Don't watch anything live in actual fact.

But BBC still appears as a choice when using my sky box and a TV that is not linked to sky. Conversely I don't subscribe to sky sports so if i try and watch it I get a message saying you have not subscribed if you want to do so call this number.

But if I click on BBC I can watch it. In theory my cleaner, babysitter or my kids may try and watch it. As I understand it this is breaking a criminal law. Who is prosecuted?

Why cant I stop seeing BBC appearing as an option?

[NerrSnerr]

John unless you are going to pay to watch bake off or masterchef from the BBC store (can you get current series that way- i genuinely don't know) why should the rest of us pay so you can enjoy the programmes. If you don't want to watch the BBC fair enough don't pay but it's not on to get a freebie because you don't want to pay.

[TimeforaNNChange]

snerr the most recent Bake Off series in the BBC Store is 2013. The 2015 Masterchef series is also available.

[SirPugalug]

Do I need a license? I have 2 tvs. One is in kids room for dvds only.

Downstairs i have NO tv service but have a ps3 i watch netflix on.

Also ordered a firestick.

I pay my licence...do i need to??

[SirPugalug]

I never watch bbc or iplayer :/

[SharkBaitOohHaha]

SirPugalug, no. We have two TVs, neither of which have aerials plugged in (so don't have signal), both of which are used only for consoles. A TV licence is required only if you watch live television and, from September, if you intend to use BBC iPlayer.

[ThePinkOcelot]

ArgyMargy- I think BBC is rubbish and have never watched the programs you mention, so stick that in your BBC pipe and smoke on it!!

[mollie123]

£145 a year - works out as £12 a month/£3 ish a week - and you all don't think it is good value - some of the best intellectual and cerebral programs are on Beeb 2 and 4 (youtube is not in the same league)

[Edie30]

I have a TV but never watch it except to watch DVDs. So no. I don't use Iplayer either.

[OurBlanche]

Ye gods!

THE LICENCE IS NOT FOR WATCHING BBC!

IT IS FOR WATCHING ANY LIVE TV BROADCAST.

But the BBC have collected the fee and, for doing so, have always been gifted it back, these days they pay it into a government fund and the DCMS votes it back to them! It pay for the wider range of stuff it does. It used to pay for the broadcast infrastructure, masts etc, now it contributes:

In addition to funding BBC programmes and services, a proportion of the licence fee contributes to the costs of rolling out broadband to the UK population and funding Welsh Language TV channel S4C and local TV channels.

Object to paying the licence by all means, but know what it is you are objecting to... that is having to pay if you use TV receiving equipment to watch or record television programmes as they’re being shown on TV. ‘TV receiving equipment’ means any equipment which is used to watch or record television programmes as they're being shown on TV. This includes a TV, computer, mobile phone, games console, digital box, DVD/VHS recorder or any other device.

[Charlesroi]

BengalCatMum If your friend had a licence for his home and the laptop was running off its battery, then it would be perfectly legal to watch live tv.

If your home has a licence and you are watching out and about, make sure the device isn't plugged in. You'll also be OK if you are watching somewhere that has a licence - a hotel, for example.

The law is a complete nonsense at the moment and I do feel the BBC are rather shooting themselves in the foot in the short-term. People are beginning to understand that you don't have to let their 'officers' in the house(without a search warrant), or speak to them on the doorstep,and they have no power to search computers if they get one(about 300 warrants are granted per year). Enforcement is going to prove impossible longer-term, without very intrusive levels of snooping.

Their long game is a blanket tax collected by ISPs IMO.

[LassWiTheDelicateAir]

I know this is a really judgemental thing to say and I'll get shot down in flames but...

I tend to judge people who say they never watch or listen to the BBC; It's a bit like people who tell you they never read books.

[Collywobbler]

I never ever watch live tv or record it so I don't pay a tv license, I only ever watch Netflix and then 40d, itv player and bbc I player. I guess I'll have to stop watching iplayer soon then as I cant justify 145 quid for watching iplayer once or twice a month. I'll just stick to the others. But as sharkbait said - if they had a pay per view and it was something I really really wanted to watch then I would just do that. I'm expecting a knock on the door at some point as I've declared I don't need a license but I don't know how they can prove I'm not watching iplayer as I have 2 laptops, a tablet and 2 TV's....