TV License, WTF!

PostRe: TV License, WTF! by **Mommy Christmas** » Mon Jun 05, 2023 1:57 pm

Lagamorph wrote:Pretty much exactly that, they'll turn up and try to catch sight of a live broadcast through either an open window or by knocking on the front door and peeking round you.
From what I hear some of the inspectors try to imply they have a right to come in so that they trick people into allowing them in to take a look.

There's also still (predominantly older) people who believe the TV detector vans actually let them pick up exactly who was watching TV.

Best to keep your windows closed then?

PostRe: TV License, WTF! by **Vermilion** » Mon Jun 05, 2023 1:59 pm

Meanwhile, outside Rapidly Greying's house...

PostRe: TV License, WTF! by **rinks** » Mon Jun 05, 2023 1:59 pm

It's about the same as I pay for car tax. I only do about 2000 miles a year. Someone with a similar car but doing 40000 miles a year pays the same. Unless they bring in usage-based tax, it sucks, but I'm stuck with it.

PostRe: TV License, WTF! by **Rapidly-Greying** » Mon Jun 05, 2023 4:22 pm

Vermilion wrote:Meanwhile, outside Rapidly Greying's house...

Lol. They can feck right off. I read books, listen to music and I only use my TV for gaming and watching dvd's. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Or I might just say that I don't have time to watch TV as I'm a chronic masterbaterer.

PostRe: TV License, WTF! by **Squinty** » Mon Jun 05, 2023 4:49 pm

Cancelled mine as I went abroad. They sent a threatening letter to my house saying I need one despite me telling them I'm not actually there.

PostRe: TV License, WTF! by **Met** » Mon Jun 05, 2023 6:36 pm

When I moved out about 10 years ago I never bothered getting one and I don't feel I've missed out. My aunt and uncle still think it's weird I don't "watch TV", but I'm generally good with just YT or getting a month of Netflix or whatever here and there.

PostRe: TV License, WTF! by **Dual** » Mon Jun 05, 2023 6:43 pm

When I move into my new house I'm not applying for a TV licence.

PostRe: TV License, WTF! by **Red** » Mon Jun 05, 2023 7:37 pm

I've not had one for about 15 years, I used to tick the 'I don't need one' box but it still doesn't get them off your back so I stopped and just enjoy the increasingly hysterical "YOU ARE UNDER INVESTIGATION" letters they send every few months. Their tactics are terrible.

PostRe: TV License, WTF! by **captain red dog** » Mon Jun 05, 2023 7:53 pm

I hardly watch anything on the BBC now aside from the odd question time. But BBC News is my go to. If I was setting up a public TV network now, I wouldn't have a licence fee model. Brit Box is also an annoyance, I have to pay extra to view the back catalogue of what I've already paid for.

However, the BBC is actually extremely good value when you look at the competition, and the licence fee is an anachronism, but I don't resent paying it. Get rid of the licence fee, and I guarantee we will end up paying more.

It's like when the government decided to split out football rights to benefit the consumer. Now we have to pay BT and Sky to watch as much football as we want. Granted I think they added more games, but the price doubled overnight!

PostRe: TV License, WTF! by **Rapidly-Greying** » Mon Jun 05, 2023 11:18 pm

captain red dog wrote:I hardly watch anything on the BBC now aside from the odd question time. But BBC News is my go to. If I was setting up a public TV network now, I wouldn't have a licence fee model. Brit Box is also an annoyance, I have to pay extra to view the back catalogue of what I've already paid for.

However, the BBC is actually extremely good value when you look at the competition, and the licence fee is an anachronism, but I don't resent paying it. Get rid of the licence fee, and I guarantee we will end up paying more.

It's like when the government decided to split out football rights to benefit the consumer. Now we have to pay BT and Sky to watch as much football as we want. Granted I think they added more games, but the price doubled overnight!

You're not just paying for the BBC though, you have to buy a license even if you don't have anything to do with the beeb. The way I read it, even if all you do is subscribe to Netflix you still need a license.

PostRe: TV License, WTF! by **Lagamorph** » Mon Jun 05, 2023 11:19 pm

Rapidly-Greying wrote:
captain red dog wrote:I hardly watch anything on the BBC now aside from the odd question time. But BBC News is my go to. If I was setting up a public TV network now, I wouldn't have a licence fee model. Brit Box is also an annoyance, I have to pay extra to view the back catalogue of what I've already paid for.

However, the BBC is actually extremely good value when you look at the competition, and the licence fee is an anachronism, but I don't resent paying it. Get rid of the licence fee, and I guarantee we will end up paying more.

It's like when the government decided to split out football rights to benefit the consumer. Now we have to pay BT and Sky to watch as much football as we want. Granted I think they added more games, but the price doubled overnight!

You're not just paying for the BBC though, you have to buy a license even if you don't have anything to do with the beeb. The way I read it, even if all you do is subscribe to Netflix you still need a license.

If all you do is subscribe to Netflix you don't need a license.

PostRe: TV License, WTF! by **RichardUK** » Mon Jun 05, 2023 11:53 pm

Dual wrote:When I move into my new house I'm not applying for a TV licence.

I buy and sell houses so for the period of time when they are being done up nobody lives there and therefore no to licence and they send letters with a cut out in the envelope so it’s visible saying “official Notice - Investigation Opened” I assume to shame you into paying because you know the post person has seen it,

YouTube · PostRe: TV License, WTF! by **Stugene** » Tue Jun 06, 2023 12:28 am

RichardUK wrote:
Dual wrote:When I move into my new house I'm not applying for a TV licence.

I buy and sell houses so for the period of time when they are being done up nobody lives there and therefore no to licence and they send letters with a cut out in the envelope so it’s visible saying “official Notice - Investigation Opened” I assume to shame you into paying because you know the post person has seen it,

10/10. Keep it up, these are great.

PostRe: TV License, WTF! by **Green Gecko** » Tue Jun 06, 2023 2:49 am

How terrible.

They really are banana splits though. Yes you need a license if you watch live TV or anything on iPlayer (including catch up).

I use the website to notify I don't require a TV license because I never watch live TV or iPlayer at that address and they sometimes write to you to check if that's changed but I just ignore those.

I find it very interesting TV licensing is a private company; they are essentially just bailiffs and a letter writing machine and that's it. Similar to the student loans company.

Just another weirdly contracted out NGO that pretends it has governmental authority or oversight, existing to charge money wherever owed or preferably if you don't owe it too (or convince you that you should, even if you don't).

You definitely don't need a license to watch Netflix, which isn't even a broadcasting company. It's a technology company.

4 on demand is its own quaint exception due to some kind of deal or advertising, like it doesn't count as channel 4's public broadcasting remit. You don't need a license for that either, unless it has a live TV part. I don't know, it sucks.

PostRe: TV License, WTF! by **Holpil** » Tue Jun 06, 2023 9:27 am

https://www.cordbusters.co.uk/bbc-new-p ... g-devices/

Their arrogance knows no bounds.

Losing market share? Lobby DCMS to require a BBC shortcut on every dongle remote and place their gooseberry fool content at the top of every dashboard.

PostRe: TV License, WTF! by **rinks** » Tue Jun 06, 2023 9:59 am

Holpil wrote:https://www.cordbusters.co.uk/bbc-new-plan-shakeup-streaming-devices/

Their arrogance knows no bounds.

Losing market share? Lobby DCMS to require a BBC shortcut on every dongle remote and place their gooseberry fool content at the top of every dashboard.

Presumably you're absolutely fine with Amazon and Netflix paying to do the same thing?

PostRe: TV License, WTF! by **Moggy** » Tue Jun 06, 2023 10:06 am

It's a difficult question at the moment as the BBC has been so compromised by the government.

I think it's important to have a broadcaster that isn't beholden to commercial pressures, or worse to the whims of a sociopathic billionaire.

It also needs to be separated from the whims of the government of the day. Publicly funded shouldn't mean "constantly under threat of being closed down for annoying the Prime Minister".

PostRe: TV License, WTF! by **Green Gecko** » Tue Jun 06, 2023 5:14 pm

I dunno my grandmother's remote has a Netflix button on it even when they don't have a subscription but there's no comparable iplayer one. She has alzheimers and dementia so its totally impossible for her to work the TV, her carers and my mother need constant schooling on it, and I am myself just figuring it out every time because I can never remember.

It's a really convoluted series of interactions to get to it on a smart player like youview when you also factor in having to be on the right hdmi channel and understand the difference between that and the aerial and within that the aerial input for the box as well.

I've spent literally half an hour trying to work that gooseberry fool out whereas when I was a kid you'd just turn on the strawberry floating TV and whatever channel it was on it would still be on. Imagine that. You could go to someone's house or a hotel and it would work the same way.

Streaming has added many layers of abstraction, choice and anylsis paralysis to just working a TV, and with digital broadcasts in poor reception areas streaming is often your only choice.

TV License, WTF!

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