About the TV license potentially being extended to streaming services?

[Haruka]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/01/28/netflix-users-could-forced-pay-licence-fee/

I already pay enough for the services themselves. I don't watch live TV and especially not the BBC. I am fed up with this potentially becoming a lack of choice; it feels like extortion and yet another tax.

I know that in other countries any device capable of receiving live TV and/ or radio needs a licence (including car radios, laptops, iPads and smartphones), but in this day and age it's taking the piss potentially having to pay for a service I don't even use, just to get access to things that I do.

AIBU to take a very dim view of these proposals?

I'm surprised I haven't seen any other threads on this yet, but maybe I'm blinded by fury 😆

One of the things we're most respected for globally? Ok.

@Mightymoog my point is, that if Reform wants to defund the BBC then it shows they're after the ignorant vote. Reform is a far right party that is vile and dangerous.

That's because idea of quality is subjective.
if one was to say I love the documentary series on netflix all about Lithuanian folk dancing, you would probably retort with " that sounds crap, there's better stuff on the BBC

No, you said the PP was excited about Reform.
I can't seem to find where she said that so if you could point me in the right direction please

https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/2007320/reform-mp-promises-scrap-tv-licence-fee

And now people who don't watch the BBc are ignorant?
Excellent stuff. You have sound reasoning

And that shows the pp is excited about reform?

@Mightymoog I think if you read my post it reads 'ohhh excited for a Reform party (not)' as in I was being sarcastic. I didn't say she said she was excited 😛

I watch a lot of very interesting documentaries on Youtube. Youtube is my main watching source and there is so much on it from entertainment, films, documentaries, music etc. Yes a lot may not be hot off the press (like films) but you can pretty much watch something on whatever subject takes your fancy. I have ads (which can be a pain) but I don’t want to pay for ad-free.

I don't really support any political party, I just always think when I read these threads, you probably voted for it.

@Mightymoog the fact they quoted Express suggests they might be partial to be a bit of Reform haha

You very much were.
Don't backtrack just cos you're talking nonsense.
You implied that the pp was excited about reform as they have said they would scrap the licence.
Then you equated people who don't like the BBC with Reform voters and that they're ignorant

It was the first one I found, but many moaning would have voted Labour so deserve to pay double imo,

Nobody "needs" to watch the BBC 🤣. Pay for it if you want to watch. Don't expect others to subside you.

@Mightymoog I really didn't. I was making a comment about myself.

Also, you're not telling me what I did or did not mean are you? 😂

As much as I'd love to spend the whole of my day defending the BBC I have to get on with my day. Sending love ❤️

Actually I read it as a comment about yourself but I can see that others may have read it differently.

I watch programmes from all over the world on YouTube, probably including docs about Lithuanian people too. TED talks, science, philosophy, history, old British social documentaries, religion etc. as well as a few cats and things about nd, animals, people living in far flung places and listening to music.

I don't watch tiktok and obtain news from a variety of sources, again, from all over the world.

The only thing that I used to like on the bbc was the shipping forecast 😂

The new series is absolutely not better quality. Dr Who is losing viewers by the thousands for a good reason, and I still pay the license for the very reason the Whovian in our family can watch it 😬

Are there some BBC employees on this thread? 😂
It's really not hard. It should move to being a subscription service like everyone else. Want Netflix? You pay for it. Want Disney Plus? You pay for it. Want BBC? You pay for it. I'm sure there will still be enough people happily funding the BBC for them to make their dramas and arty programmes.

While there are elements of the BBC I can't stand (ahem... Dr Who), I overall support the BBC as a public service and nationally beneficial institution. The license fee model does need reform, and I would have no problem with a small tax on streaming services to help fund it.

It's always been the case that you had to pay the license fee to have a telly to watch other services (ITV, C4/5 etc) and that's been fine. The idea that suddenly there's a critical distinction between streaming and live services doesn't really wash for me.

I know it won't necessarily be straight forward or even possible to implement, but I'm not against the idea, and would be happy to hear proposals for it.

No I’m not.

I’m not over 50 and I have all the main subs - Netflix, Disney, Paramount, Now, Prime and Apple.

I don’t watch a lot of BBC myself but I understand its importance within the tv ecosystem.

You are the one advocating for less choice by supporting the end of our PSB, not me.

There are lots of problems with how the licence fee is administered.

That doesn’t mean the BBC should be defunded.

Nobody is saying the BBC should end are they ?
They are just objecting to paying a license fee.

You Tube doesn’t commission, so much of the content is either stolen and put up there, or made in ways that aren’t sustainable - most content creators don’t make money on YT and the ones that do often do not do things in the right way or safely. It’s an important part of the landscape but needs better oversight. It’s basically Shein or Temu.

By defunding it and making it subject to market forces, they are effectively saying it should be shut down. See upthread for more info on why ‘free’ (doesn’t exist with the likes of Murdoch) market doesn’t lead to better quality and more choice.