AIBU cancelling my TV Licence direct debit?

[Heliosdeep]

In the wake of the Gary Lineker saga and the weakness of the BBC I cancelled my direct debit. Currently at £159 for a yearly licence I thought this was a waste of money. The only thing I would have missed would gave been the Great British Bake Off but now that Alison Hammond is fronting it I would have struggled to get past her incredibly irritating voice.

I've not watched it once since cancelling and haven't missed it. Has anyone else done the same and AIBU cancelling?

I've never paid for one. Never had them turn up to check - refuse to pay for a company that put children at risk knowingly and covered it up.

Also I think ideologically it's good to have one provider that isn't commercial /making purely for adverts and can make documentaries because they're important. We loved cbbc when the kids were small as it was ad free and decent TV.

I cancelled late last year. We haven't watched tv for years and years and had still paid for it regardless. Wish I had done it sooner.

I feel so worried about bbc radio in all this ‘scrap the licence’ debate.

You don't need a tv licence to.listen to.radio😂

@EarthwormJane we are subjected to multiple layers of advertising on Mum’s et which is how we “pay” / it is funded. The entire point of the BBC is (supposed to be) advertising free and therefore entirely editorially independent programming.

"C4 is covered by the TV licence tho - you can’t watch that either, or ITV."

Eh? Only if you're watching it "live".

"No, it’s not. You can’t listen to BBC radio while not paying the tv licence."

😅 yes you can.

Not radio, it is a TV licence, so there no BBC iservice and no live TV, and you're fine.

YANBU I've not had a TV licence for years just use catchup or Netflix.

Not quite.

You need a licence to watch them live. To watch anything live.

But unlike BBC iplayer you don't need a licence to watch them in demand.

It doesn't really matter what you think though does it ?
The fact is people can listen to.the radio without a licence .

Not unreasonable to cancel it.

But in order to cancel your TV licence you actually have to cancel the TV licence, not just the direct debit.

Make sure you actually tell TVL you’re cancelling it. You’ll get pestered way less if you do it that way.

NOT radio , that's legal to listen to without the license

Agree cbbc. Essential programming IMO.
Exactly the kind of thing under threat if people stop paying their licences.

are People really willing to give up public transport broadcasting for ever?

I am pmsl.

This is the same type of person that would remind the teacher they forgot to set homework.

Heaven forbid someone listen to the radio if they haven't paid their license. I'd be pretty screwed as they play it constantly at my office, never mind the fact it's perfectly legal to listen without paying for a license. Jesus.

I cancelled my licence over a year ago.

I did this because I realised I hardly watched live television anymore but also because of ethical concerns: I thought the BBC lost their impartiality and independence during Covid and I refused to contribute to the salary of people like Laura Kuenssberg and Fiona Bruce who are just Tory enablers.

I am not watching or finding a state propaganda channel.

Don't miss it at all.

I also object to how watching TV or not was criminalised...

Up to you. I pay it. Rarely watch live TV but listen to Radio 4 and Radio 2 all the time as well as loads of stuff on bbc sounds. That's my BBC and any darn fool can see that it is funded by the licence fee.

The BBC are hardly an emergency service such as the fire brigade. Poor comparison.

The enforcement of bbc funding via the outdated and laughable TV licence needs to end.
I stopped years ago, put any letters from them.in the bin.
Archaic system used to fund the likes of Gary Lineker and Co.

Send them donations then...

OP the tv licence isn't just to watch the BBC channels, its all live tv. So if you watch any live tv you need a licence

These threads always bring up so much information.

The TV license covers BBC TV services and live TV. You can listen to the radio and watch C4 and ITV on catch up. You don’t need to get rid of your access to terrestrial TV - you just need to stop watching it live.

We haven’t had a license for years because we don’t need it. We don’t watch BBC Iplayer and we don’t watch live TV. You fill out the little form saying you aren’t using the services and they leave you alone for a couple of years. Easy.

Cancelled mine last year as never watched BBC nor any live TV. Everything we watch is on apps like Netflix/Disney etc. If there's anything I really want to see, I just wait till it's on catch up.

So no, not unreasonable at all.

6 Music isn’t made for free though, I don’t think people should listen regularly without a licence even if technically you can.

Ok but you can so it doesn't really matter what you think

Have you gone through to them to officially cancel? If not they will chase you

You don't need a TV Licence if you never watch live on any channel, TV service or streaming service, or use BBC iPlayer*. This applies to any device, including a TV, computer, laptop, phone, tablet, games console or digital box.

You don't need a licence to listen to the radio.