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?

[daisypond]

I'm really surprised by all these people who don't have a TV licence. I've never known anyone who doesn't have a licence. You never watch or record ANY TV programmes on ANY channel? You ONLY watch TV content ( no matter what the channel) on catch-up?

"You need a TV Licence if you watch or record live TV on any device." That is the rule.

[wasonthelist]

It's also available as an app on many devices - for example on smart TVs and "sticks" and boxes like ROKU, now TVs etc that you can plug into a telly, as well as tablets and phones - but you're right, you can't delete the website.

[wasonthelist]

You never watch or record ANY TV programmes on ANY channel? You ONLY watch TV content ( no matter what the channel) on catch-up?
Yes, Daisy, exactly that and has been the case for me for in excess of 2 years. I find it liberating in the sense I don't just flop down and start channel-hopping through crap I don't really want to watch - which is what I did when I had a licence and watched TV live. I have zero interest in soaps talent/baking/gardening or property shows or sports of any kind so it works well for me.

[wasonthelist]

I disconnected my TV aerials

[StepAwayFromTheThesaurus]

Yes daisy. We never watch any live tv. We don't have the ability to record it (and wouldn't if we could). We don't even watch 'catch up' tv. Ever.

We really like having on demand streaming services and nothing else. I would never want to go back to a tv schedule.

We won't miss iplayer because we don't use it. We haven't missed live tv in the slightest since we ditched it.

[AlmaMartyr]

I don't have a licence and won't get one now, no. I'm quite happy to forgo the one BBC show we actually watch. Netflix and DVDs do us fine, but we're not big TV watchers (I know that sounds smug, it isn't meant to, sorry).

[myownprivateidaho]

I'm really surprised by all these people who don't have a TV licence. I've never known anyone who doesn't have a licence. You never watch or record ANY TV programmes on ANY channel? You ONLY watch TV content ( no matter what the channel) on catch-up?

Err well yes! This is extremely common these days (I don't think any of the 20/30-somethings I know in London have a tv) - why do you think they're changing the law?

[myownprivateidaho]

I'm really surprised by all these people who don't have a TV licence. I've never known anyone who doesn't have a licence. You never watch or record ANY TV programmes on ANY channel? You ONLY watch TV content ( no matter what the channel) on catch-up?

Err well yes! This is extremely common these days (I don't think any of the 20/30-somethings I know in London have a tv) - why do you think they're changing the law?

[LassWiTheDelicateAir]

Err well yes! This is extremely common these days (I don't think any of the 20/30-somethings I know in London have a tv) - why do you think they're changing the law

The current law has nothing to do with owning a TV. You need a licence to watch live television (i.e.as it is being broadcast)

So none of these 20/30 year olds watch Wimbledon or the World Cup Finals or Eurovision or Last Night of the Proms or Glastonbury or T in the Park or election night specials or the Olympics?

[AliceInUnderpants]

I'm really surprised by all these people who don't have a TV licence. I've never known anyone who doesn't have a licence. You never watch or record ANY TV programmes on ANY channel? You ONLY watch TV content ( no matter what the channel) on catch-up?

It doesn't change just because you put it in CAPTIAL LETTERS.
No, I do not watch or record live TV.
We have Amazon Prime, Netflix, and the occasional month's subscription to Now TV for movies at Xmas time. The kids watch a heap of Youtube. We also have DVDs if we fancy it, and do download/rent the occasional movie.

Like

[LassWiTheDelicateAir]

On their laptops, phones or tablets?

[AliceInUnderpants]

oops...
Like a pp said, this means we only watch things we want to, rather than flicking through channels for the sake of it.

[myownprivateidaho]

The current law has nothing to do with owning a TV. You need a licence to watch live television (i.e.as it is being broadcast)

Yes, but clearly there has been a shift in habits. It used to be that people would watch whatever was on TV at that time or waited till their favourite show was on to watch it. Now people (or young people) are more likely to decide what to watch based on what is available on streaming services rather than whatever happens to be playing live on TV at the moment, and when they have a favourite show they watch it whenever they feel like it on an internet streaming service. That is a shift that has been enabled by the availability of internet streaming, and it's that shift that the new law is tackling. So although, yes, you can watch live TV on your laptop, most people watching through their laptops are going to be in the habit of not doing so.

[daisypond]

I wrote in capitals to make sure we all were reading from the same page. Doesn't change my mind, though - I'm still surprised people don't watch or record "live" TV ever. I'm not surprised the BBC is changing the rule as regards iPlayer, then. I'd hate for the BBC to disappear.

[myownprivateidaho]

So none of these 20/30 year olds watch Wimbledon or the World Cup Finals or Eurovision or Last Night of the Proms or Glastonbury or T in the Park or election night specials or the Olympics?

I don't know that no one ever breaks the law by watching live tv on iplayer without a licence, but I think that "event" TV is much less of a thing now, yes. Sports is an exception I guess.

[NNChangeAgain]

I'm really surprised by all these people who don't have a TV licence. I've never known anyone who doesn't have a licence. You never watch or record ANY TV programmes on ANY channel? You ONLY watch TV content ( no matter what the channel) on catch-up?

Nope. Haven't had a TV for over 8years. Didn't watch anything other than the occasional 007 DVD for over 6 years. Got sucked back into cookery programmes while unwell last year - there was no chance of me watching them as they were broadcast. Still don't. Have a bit of a binge now and again, usually after the series has finished.

[LassWiTheDelicateAir]

Yes, but clearly there has been a shift in habits

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

[QueenArya]

I won't be getting one. I only watch Sherlock and GBBO, so I'll just go round my mum's house for those

[myownprivateidaho]

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

Well, given that the BBC expects that there are about 0.5m people who watch only on catchup on Iplayer, I think the answer must be yes. I'm certainly not fussed about any of those things. I would guess that people who are really into sports have a TV to watch it on and pay a licence fee, and people who would only watch the Wimbledon final or whatever go to the pub or someone else's house to do so.

[AliceInUnderpants]

Why such a sweeping generalisation Lass? I'm sure there are just as many licence-holders as there are non-licence-holders that aren't bothered about the World Cup, Wimbledon or Eurovision finals. In fact, I'd probably put money on there being more!

[Tinuviel]

Those of you saying that you would just buy the DVD after the series (I think someone mentioned Dr Who or Sherlock), have you considered that without the BBC being funded, these programmes simply won't happen?

[LassWiTheDelicateAir]

Why such a sweeping generalisation

Well apparently none of the 20/30 year old another poster knows has a TV (although that is irrelevant as to whether they should have a licence)

Yes maybe you are right there is an entire generation of people out there who never, ever watch TV as it is being broadcast (and bear in mind broadcasting recordings of events like Glastonbury is "live") or who never sit up to watch election results. Or basically never, ever, ever, watch any television programme on any channel at the time it is broadcast. It seems a little unlikely.

[myownprivateidaho]

It seems a little unlikely.

I don't really get why you find this so unlikely. But ultimately, the whole reason they are changing the law is that there is a significant number of people who don't watch live tv and therefore don't have a licence, but do watch bbc tv on catchup. If these people didn't exist there wouldn't be a need for a change in the law.

[StepAwayFromTheThesaurus]

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

We're not bothered in the least.

[StepAwayFromTheThesaurus]

And you can sit up and follow election results as they come in without tv. They put them on the Internet (and not just the BBC website either).