confused about Festival of Remembrance?

[TheHopefulBaker]

Stupid questions incoming, please don't be mean! 😂

I always thought it was broadcast live? the tv guide says it doesn't even start on the bbc until 9pm but I am already seeing news items reporting that the royals have arrived and taken their seats and watched the performance? So I am now very confused. Can anyone shed any light on this?

Also - it seems there is no way at all to watch the Festival of Remembrance tonight without the BBC? I cancelled my tv license a few months ago as felt it was getting so expensive and I have been increasingly displeased with them this year (that could be a whole other thread tbh) so obviously now I cannot legally watch the bbc anymore. I was expecting that the festival might be broadcast on youtube by sky news or something (as I believe the service tomorrow will be?) but it seems not...so unless you pay for the bbc you can't watch the festival of remembrance? It doesn't seem right that the bbc should have exclusive rights to this, especially now.

As I said I know I'm probably being very stupid and asking obvious questions so please be kind.

Also let's try avoid derailing the thread with arguments over whether or not remembrance services should even happen/royal family debates/poppy politics etc...if we can 😊

This! The TV licence is in reality a tax. Though all of the money goes to fund the BBC.

Why can't you take in the fact that this is not the BBC's decision? It equally applies to live broadcasts by other channels.

I suspect he's doing his bit in Wales.. Catherine and George are there.

Hannah Waddingham's doing a good job, isn't she?

Not true. There are some live broadcasts on Netflix. For example, WWE. You are required have a licence if you watch those broadcasts.

I think he’s still in Brazil for COP & earthshot prize

Princess Anne has just landed in Australia

I confess I did not know that 🙂
But basically it's if you watch something at a specific advertised broadcast time - that's what "live" means.

There are 2 parts to the festival. They used to show the whole thing when I was younger but have now cut it down aot.
There are displays from various military units and bands. Eg The naval cadets used to climb up a replica mast in an old fashioned salute. There might have been a gymnastics/tumbling display and probably a band or 2.
Then there is the muster and service.
BBC now mainly just shows the muster and service with perhaps a couple of short clips of the rest.
The Royals attend the whole thing

Agreed. It does seem strange to not pay for something and then complain you can't have it.

You're talking about watching Sky News on YouTube though. Sky News being...a TV channel?

There are two performances, 2pm (dress rehearsal?) and 7pm.

The government, not the BBC. The money from the TV licence primarily goes to the BBC, but they don't get all of it. Channel 4 get some for instance.

The TV licence covers watching anything live in the UK, whether BBC or otherwise. It also covers iPlayer. So watching something normal on Netflix, you're fine without a TV licence. Watching the live boxing on Netflix? You need a licence. Watching any prerecorded video on YouTube - Fine. Watching the sky news channel on Netflix, need a licence.

The rules are a mess, but they're still the rules.

She is, she looks magnificent and I LOVE her.

I actually wasn't aware that the festival of remembrance was organised and produced specifically by the bbc, I thought it was a national event which they had the exclusive rights to broadcast - such as trooping the colour or wimbledon.

If it's an event put on by the bbc then fair enough. I did say initially that I am not well educated on this so I apologise for any ignorance.

I also accept that the government set the laws around the tv license - I was not aware of this.

There are a lot of people who make the argument that the bbc should be reformed and the tv license be abolished, and for the bbc to fund itself through advertising as other channels do or through an optional subscription - therefore people can watch or not watch what they like and either pay for things through subscription - like netflix - or watch for free when things are paid for by advertising. From this argument being widely discussed, I made the assumption that the bbc demands the tv license in order to fund itself as they don't use advertising. And it didn't seem fair that you wouldn't be able to watch other channels that are fully funded through advertising, just because you don't pay the bbc. Obviously I need to educate myself better.

I actually wasn't aware that the festival of remembrance was organised and produced specifically by the bbc

It's the Royal British Legion's event, but the BBC provides all the facilities to televise it.

Just pay for a bloody TV licence. It doesn't matter what the whys and wherefores are, if you want to watch any scheduled TV you must buy a licence, same as you have to pay for any streaming channel.

No one is going to know if OP watches Sky News on YouTube.

Op, given the BBC is splashing the cash on comping their staff and presenters with BBC license payer money, I think you should watch it on YouTube if it’s on with zero guilt.

I would hate to have the BBC funded through advertising. As it is, advertising takes up more and more time during programmes to their serious detriment, and the reality is we all end up paying a hell of a lot more for the channels that do rely on advertising because the cost of that advertising is added to the goods we buy. It annoys me particularly because we have no choice about that, unless we choose to boycott everything that is ever advertised, which is near-impossible.

You said it. Perhaps do your research before starting such a goady thread, using the Remembrance Service as the example, how disrespectful.

I volunteered at the festival of remembrance in 2022. There are two festivals on the day; one around 2pm and then another around 6pm when the royals come in. The footage you you watch at 9pm is a compilation of the two festivals!

It’s not “live” there are several parts edited out.
example is - troops all facing forward to the drumhead, next shot they have turned to face the king, and no order to move was broadcast

The definition of 'live' has been explained. It means on at a scheduled time rather than on as it occurs in real time. What you are seeing is edited and broadcast after the event.

I entirely agree. And if the BBC had to be funded by advertising, the other channels would increase the time they reserve for commercials. Anyone who has ever watched TV in the US will know where this leads. I’m sure not many people would be happy to have their viewing interrupted by advertisements every 5 minutes.

Don’t we have enough trash in our lives without asking for more just to make a political point about the BBC? You see advertising everywhere and it doesn’t make things better (see MN).

Parliament make the rules. Take it up with your MP.