To cancel TV license

[Bridget1983]

DH and I do not watch the BBC - we watch Netflix, 4OD etc but we have always and still do pay our TV license.
DH in particular wants to cancel this as he is politically opposed to all that the BBC now stand for.
I also feel the BBC is not the unbiased media outlet it once was but am worried about getting into legal bother if child accidentally accessed it or something!

Genuinely interested in whether others have also done this?

And before anyone assumes our “political grounds” are not weird Tommy Robinson/far right stuff 😊

We haven't had one for years and haven't missed it, nobody has ever come to ask or check. You should be due a refund too if you pay a whole year at once. DH did make noises about occasionally purchasing it to watch something and then cancelling it when the series finished but has never bothered.

The bbc make amazing content that no for profit provider will touch. Their investigative journalism has broken all kinds of stories and real difference has been achieved. Their kids content is the best by far. Interestingly those of both a left or right wing persuasion claims the bbc is biased which makes me think that actually it's quite balanced! (Though generally whoever is in power claims the bbc is pro the other side!)

Cancel by all means but remember a large amount of your precious Netflix content is Bbc back catalogue or co productions, plus you cannot watch live content from any other terrestrial channel (though you can watch itv etc on catch up). As long as they keep bbc4 I will pay, actually it's worth it just for the radio output which is funded from the licence fee plus from next year over 75's licence fees for low incomes who rely on terrestrial tv.

Couldn't agree more, stucknoue and no one has to watch any political content that they don't want to.

Yes cancel it. We pay ours like a mug. Yes we do use iplayer but mainly kids TV so could definitely find alternatives on Netflix and I don't think they'd miss it.

I am completely with you OP on the fact that I really really resent funding their political dogma that I fundamentally disagree with. I would support a mass movement to cancel en masse to force them into a subscription model. If they so it if out I'd pay for certain packages (children's, Attenborough) but I would never pay for news / current affairs.

When Attenborough dies I think the BBC will lose so much money in licence cancellations.

Interestingly those of both a left or right wing persuasion claims the bbc is biased which makes me think that actually it's quite balanced! (Though generally whoever is in power claims the bbc is pro the other side!)

I don't think any pro remain person has ever complained that the BBC is too pro Brexit, unless they're an idiot.

I don't watch the news on television and I don't watch any new BBC stuff on Netflix as it just doesn't interest me. Sorry, but I do like the American series, as whenever I happen to find something new I want to watch (which is rare), it's American. Though in the last few years I've only been interested in Once Upon a Time and Lucifer, nothing else has captured my interest.

I haven't sat and just flicked through channels for literally over a decade, I rarely find anything new to watch and just tend to watch reruns of things I already know I like. In fact, I think the only BBC thing I have ever watched and loved is red dwarf, but I have all the series on DVD so have no need to sit around waiting for it to appear on the television.

I don't think any pro remain person has ever complained that the BBC is too pro Brexit, unless they're an idiot.

The BBC have played a major role in platforming and therefore legitimising and mainstreaming the views of Farage and his parties in recent years, often disproportionately to his influence and vote share at the time.
The media love a "character"

@Basecamp65 none of that is true. They never had vans that could tell if you are watching tv ...

Also, they don't have the right to enter your home if you say no and they can't check your devices. What if you had a friend round and they had the app, it's nothing to do with you. Having an app isn't a crime, it's watching the programs. Look up the rates of them actually convicting people, they can't because they would have to actually catch you watching the tv and prove it too.

I also believe that if you're watching any free service (4od, itv player etc) you need a license now? Not 100% on that you may want to check op.

I haven’t got a TV or a licence and just watch Netflix etc- it’s not a particularly controversial thing to do, although I’m conscious of missing some good stuff at times.

On the question of BBC bias, I don’t think any media source is unbiased, is it? But if that’s a sticking point then of course you can choose not to give them your money

Cancelled mine about six years ago, haven’t looked back. Only thing I’ve watched on the BBC over the past six years is Luther.

The beeb is well and truly past it.

Look up the rates of them actually convicting people, they can't because they would have to actually catch you watching the tv and prove it too.
I strongly suspect that most convictions are based on confessions. Fair enough that people own up I guess, but I bet it falls disproportionately upon people who are in difficult circumstances already.

It's an outdated model but the BBC are trying to cling to it.

Saville, millions of pounds paid out to senior people in golden goodbyes, wage rises for "talent" already paid millions - they do produce some decent stuff but not nearly enough. As for the people who said they break stories and do investigative journalism - yeah, OK, on the one hand Jimmy Saville and on the other they hired a helicopter to go and hover over Cliff Richard's place. Their legitimacy as an unbiased news source ended as soon as they started trying to ape other media.

It was recently reported that BBC Studios had agreed a deal worth something like £300 million with Discovery licensing natural history programmes to them. I think Discovery’s CEO compared the BBC to Marvel when it comes to Natural History!

That’s all money flowing into this country from abroad, supporting jobs not just in the BBC, but in production companies and for freelancer’s etc. It also sends the message around the world that there is something that Britain is truly great at.

I think we have a terrible habit in this country of failing to recognise the things that we do really well and failing to support them. Americans seem to love the idea of “made in America”, they see a patriotism in supporting their own against the rest of the world. Whilst they might be a bit extreme, unfortunately here we seem to love “made in America” too, and are too willing to neglect or talk down our own local industries.

There are so many things we’ll miss when they’re gone. Still, as long as we can all keep sending our cash over the seas to Netflix, or to Amazon, or to Apple I guess everything’s just fine...

yes, OP, listen to bingoisadingo, and, you know, the actual tv licence website , not Basecamp65 or teddybear45 etc.

Every time there is a thread about this I wonder why these posters are so vehement about coming on and spreading 'facts' about something they obviously know nothing about. I mean, I know less than nothing about the football world cup, but I wouldn't jump on a thread about it and make up an incorrect definition of the offside rule

For what it's worth, I've had a TV since I moved into my current house about three years ago, filled out the form online saying I didn't need a license because I only use it for netflix, catch up on 4od (have never found anything worth watching on ITV hub!) and have never had a visit. I think they sent a letter checking I still didn't need a license after about two years.

There are so many things we’ll miss when they’re gone. Still, as long as we can all keep sending our cash over the seas to Netflix, or to Amazon, or to Apple I guess everything’s just fine...
I agree with this - I regret US cultural imperialism being so amply assisted by people here - but the BBC isn't the sole provider of UK tv and radio. Also 99% of posters in any TV licence thread use the US spelling of licence.

Look up the rates of them actually convicting people, they can't because they would have to actually catch you watching the tv and prove it too.

It does happen though, two members of my family are enforcement agents and collect on TV license non payment fines.

I don't think any pro remain person has ever complained that the BBC is too pro Brexit, unless they're an idiot.

If you look at the guest list on Question Time over the last few years, it's massively biased in favour of pro Brexit supporters.

But more importantly, it's licence, not license.

The absolute bollocks on here is astounding.

“They can and will spot check you and enter you’re property”

Hahaha errr nope! I haven’t had a licence for nearly fifteen years. In that time I have had an aerial and have been able to watch BBC if I wanted but I haven’t. I have had about 4 visits over the years asking if i watch / download BBC etc. I tell them truthfully no. ‘Can they come in check?’ My reply? ‘No thanks, you’ll have to take my word for it. Have a lovely day!’

Off they go.

People only get convicted because they don’t know their rights, believe the spiel that is spouted by the agents and get scared into letting them in / signing stuff.

Dn got fined for having no licence. She is not particularly stupid.

I think the salary thing sticks in the craw. It is so ridiculous to say they have to pay the "talent" in order to stay competitive, because in so many cases it really doesn't matter who it is that is hosting the programme. Are Claudia Winkelman and Tess Daley really the only people who could host Strictly Come Dancing well? I think they are easily replaceable. Furthermore where is the competition? Are other channels busting to poach these people? I think that is highly debatable.

Moreover I think the salaries paid to middle-ranking very mediocre executives should be made public - let us not forget these people are on very generous packages including pensions and wotnot.

@IrmaFayLear I agree - also Lineker ain't worth all that cash - that is just silly. There are millions of people who could talk bollocks about football just as effectively for loads less cash and who would love the opportunity.

They absolutely cannot enter a property or search devices. Only police WITH A WARRANT can do that. They would have to have a huge amount of evidence to get a warrant. I would bet that more than 90% or more of the fines and convictions are down to people confessing. I had an enforcer turn up at my door a few months back. I hadn't paid for a license nor had I told them I didn't need one because I resent having to tell a non compulsive service that I'm not using them.
I didn't refuse him entry as such but I sure as hell wasn't inviting him in.

The ridiculous thing is I would probably have bought a tv license because I did like watching the odd bbc show but I find their payment system just wrong. The system is now set so you pay the first years subscription over 6 months not 12 and then you start paying for year 2s subscription halfway through year 1. I cannot afford that and I think it's wrong. So I am boycotting their services.

But surely if there are people who can talk bollocks about football just as effectively but much more cheaply than Lineker then the commercial broadcasters would be snapping them up? They are under constant pressure to justify their cost base (and reduce costs where possible), and increase profits - they should be all over these people! Instead they tend to pay their “talent” even more.

I am unsure of the arguments against American programmes. Are you saying that we should watch dross just because it's British, regardless of whether we like it?

I watch things with a storyline I like, I don't care which country it originates in.

We cancelled ours. My husband has very similar views to yours about the BBC, and he worked for them for 2 years!

We use Netflix, amazon prime via the fire stick, ITV OD and I pay for HayU. We don't miss having a licence at all. We do get letters though. SO many. We told them we didn't need one, they sent letters, we told them again, they sent letters, we called them, they said they'd stop the letters, stoped for a few months and they've just started again. We've given up - if they send someone round we don't have anything to hide.