BBC iPlayer Changes

[Taffycat]

I'm not too sure how they intend to "police" this, but:

People who watch BBC shows on "catch-up" will be legally required to have a TV licence from September 1.

At present, an estimated 500,000 dodge the £145.50 fee by not watching or recording live BBC TV.

But from next month, anyone who watches BBC programmes on iPlayer - or on catch-up via any device or any third-party service, such as Sky, Virgin and BT - will have to pay.

www.telegraph.co.uk

 

[Ian]

As much as I like the BBC, I really wish they'd bin the TV license and come up with another solution. Even now, not many people use TVs in the way they were 10+ years ago - many people use smart boxes to stream everything they watch. In fact, we could remove the TV tuners from both our TVs and it wouldn't change a thing. Technically, we wouldn't need a license (at the moment) even though we have one, we do watch iPlayer very occasionally but that's about it. I bet many other people are in the same boat.

Instead, they should perhaps incorporate some of the programming for TV/Radio in to general taxation and then have a Netflix-like license for people who want to watch online programing (or have a TV tuner). They way you could log on to the iPlayer site and watch content that isn't covered under the general taxation part of things. If they didn't do that, then I don't know how they could properly police things unless they get a) sneaky and do sniffing or b) just assume that everyone should own a license.

 

[TriplexDread]

98% of the stuff I watch are downloaded from the states. I don't watch any UK TV programmes well very minimal. Certainly not enough to pay for the license. I have refused to pay for a license for 5 years now and will continue to do so. Even if it means removing or disabling my tuner from my screen

 

[Urmas]

As much as I like the BBC, I really wish they'd bin the TV license and come up with another solution.

The Finnish model:

For the greater part of Yle's existence the company was funded by the revenues obtained from a broadcast receiving licence fee payable by the owners of radio sets (1927-1976) and television sets (1958-2012), as well as receiving a portion of the broadcasting licence fees payable by private television broadcasters. Since the beginning of 2013 the licence fee has been replaced by a public broadcasting tax (known as the "Yle tax"), which is collected annually from private individuals together with their other taxes, and also from corporations.

By far the major part of the Yle tax is collected from individual taxpayers, with payments being assessed on a sliding scale. Minors, as well as persons with an annual income of less than €7,813 are exempt. At the lower limit the tax payable by individuals amounts to €50 per annum and the maximum (payable by an individual with a yearly income of €20,588 or more) is set at €140.[3] The rationale for the abolition of the previous television licence fee was the development of other means of delivering Yle's services, such as the Internet, and the consequent impracticality of continuing to tie the fee to the ownership of a specific device. Yle receives no advertising revenues as all channels are advertisement-free.

The Yle tax is collected into a fund, which is not included in the annual state budget. A Value Added Tax charge of 10 % is deducted from the gross amount.

The current financing model safeguards Yle’s independence and ensures that the organisation is financed directly by its owners, Finnish taxpayers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yle

http://yle.fi/aihe/artikkeli/2014/12/31/yle

 

[Becky]

The Finnish model sounds like it makes a lot of sense

Agree with you @Taffycat that I'm not sure how they will police it - just rely on honestly I guess.

 

[floppybootstomp]

I'll tell you how they police it - they always assume if your address doesn't have a licence then you're watching TV and should have a licence. They think everybody watches TV. To this end they will badger you by post and frequent visits insisting you buy a licence. They don't actually ask whether you watch live TV or not, they're really quite aggressive and threaten you with prosecution unless you buy a licence.

I know this as I stopped watching live TV in 1997 after watching my daughters watching 'Big Brother' and the TV licensing gestapo have hounded me constantly.

My eldest daughter lived with me at my current address for a few years and had a TV in her room so we bought a licence while she was here. But she left in February of this year so I told the licence people I didn't watch TV and won't be renewing the licence for this address. So far they haven't called or written me, which did surprise me, they're usually very tenacious in pursuing their £145.50.

I do watch films and will occasionally download a TV series I fancy (naughty naughty) and to view these I now have a 40" Monitor with no tuner in it, I gave the LG 37" TV that I had used previously to my daughter for her new flat.

I wonder about this new law as anybody who has a computer with online access can view the BBC iPlayer. Does this mean they will try and charge me? If they do I'm going to refuse to buy a licence anyway and I will argue that I simply don't watch TV or use the iPlayer.

As I mentioned, I'm surprised they haven't contacted me since February but with this new ruling I think I best be ready for a visit.

 

[EvanDavis]

I have TV. I don't watch actual TV though. The odd DVD and mostly use it for PS3 games. Filled in their online for about 8 years back when I moved in the flat to say I don't need a license because I didn't have a TV then and they haven't bothered me since.

 

[Ian]

It's quite revealing to see how many of us don't watch that much TV, if any at all!

 

[muckshifter]

I don't have a TV, haven't 'watched' TV, or any 'live' anything, for 11years now.

I was recently sent 'letters' from them constantly badgering me to get a licence. I phoned them up, I was very sarcastically polite. I'm now, according the the person I spoke to, off their badgering post list.

Haven't had a letter from them for a whole week now.

 

[Taffycat]

Like most of you, we seldom watch live TV either. We much prefer to catch-up with programmes we particularly want to see, via Firestick, or on DvD. (I find that we can't actually be bothered to follow a series which is churned-out over many weeks; it's more enjoyable (for us) to be able to binge-watch anything good. We're less likely to lose-the-plot too! )

It's all about convenience and choice.

I think the examples mentioned by @Ian and @Urmas would be a much fairer way for the Beeb to be financed.

 

[TriplexDread]

I lost the plot years ago TC