New Package That Requires NO TV Licence

[Philip1974]

@rscott Only if it's LIVE.

[Mark39]

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@Philip1974 wrote:

@rscott Only if it's LIVE.

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All broadcast channels are live. You can't watch something that is being broadcast from a satellite or a tv transmitter at a later time. 

[nolte]

From the tv licensing website (link on previous page) 

• If you watch or record TV programmes live on any channel or TV service, or download or watch any BBC programmes on BBC iPlayer, you need to be covered by a TV Licence.

[TimmyBGood]

@Philip1974 

It's always worth remembering that the tortuous language (" record TV programmes live ") used by TVL and the apparent exception this creates is due to the simple fact that the existing primary legislation pre-dates the possibility of on-demand viewing and comes from the era of the video cassette recorder, ironically to prevent the use of those devices for license evasion by recording all transmission for later playback.  Despite its apparent meaning it's really not intended by design to permit the unlicensed consumption of the catch-up versions of broadcast channels, and is long overdue for a complete re-write

[LGUser]

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@TimmyBGood wrote:

@Philip1974 

It's always worth remembering that the tortuous language (" record TV programmes live ") used by TVL and the apparent exception this creates is due to the simple fact that the existing primary legislation pre-dates the possibility of on-demand viewing and comes from the era of the video cassette recorder, ironically to prevent the use of those devices for license evasion by recording all transmission for later playback.  Despite its apparent meaning it's really not intended by design to permit the unlicensed consumption of the catch-up versions of broadcast channels, and is long overdue for a complete re-write

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Yes it is due for a re-write to say it's only payable for use of BBC. This paying BBC to watch other channels is scandalous.

[Philip1974]

@TimmyBGood 

Well, the BBC's whole business model needs review - it's archaic. With the advent of subscription TV, it should be down to the BBC to supply their programming IF you want to pay for it, just like any other pay channel.

I always thought the BBC's policy was completely unfair. It's like if I started a shop tomorrow and said everyone has to buy from my shop. It doesn't matter if you don't like or need what I sell, you still have to buy from me. I never understood how this policy got passed in the first place, but the fact it has lasted for so long now we have so many other options, is ridicuolous.

Also the fact that TVL can lump in 'any live broadcast on any channel' as a clause for needing a licence is again, totally unfair. No other channel demands that and this is only there to make you keep paying for the Beeb, whether you watch it or not. I think the more we do to make the Beeb rethink their policy, the better.

[rscott]

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@Philip1974 wrote:

@TimmyBGood 

Well, the BBC's whole business model needs review - it's archaic. With the advent of subscription TV, it should be down to the BBC to supply their programming IF you want to pay for it, just like any other pay channel.

I always thought the BBC's policy was completely unfair. It's like if I started a shop tomorrow and said everyone has to buy from my shop. It doesn't matter if you don't like or need what I sell, you still have to buy from me. I never understood how this policy got passed in the first place, but the fact it has lasted for so long now we have so many other options, is ridicuolous.

Also the fact that TVL can lump in 'any live broadcast on any channel' as a clause for needing a licence is again, totally unfair. No other channel demands that and this is only there to make you keep paying for the Beeb, whether you watch it or not. I think the more we do to make the Beeb rethink their policy, the better.

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The BBC don't set this policy - the government do, as part of the BBC charter they agree at regular intervals.

In theory, they could scrap the licence completely and carry on funding the BBC (or vice versa). Or  move to a model like Switzerland, Germany, Italy, etc where every property pays a TV tax, whether they have a set or not.

[LGUser]

The TV License is like saying, if you shop at Nickel & Dime, you have to pay Amazon.

[TimmyBGood]

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@Philip1974 wrote:

Well, the BBC's whole business model needs review - it's archaic.

I never understood how this policy got passed in the first place

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I think we covered that a few pages ago: yes, it's a politically inspired bodge from nearly a century ago, so by definition archaic.  As @rscott comments, setting things up this way was a government decision in 1925/6 which has been perpetuated by 35 subsequent UK administrations and eight government-run BBC Charter renewals.

[TimmyBGood]

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@Philip1974 wrote:

Also the fact that TVL can lump in 'any live broadcast on any channel' as a clause for needing a licence is again, totally unfair. No other channel demands that and this is only there to make you keep paying for the Beeb, whether you watch it or not.

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That's the current court-accepted interpretation of what the Communications Act (2003) and the Communications (Television Licensing) Regulations (2004)  mean. 

Governments make laws, not TVL or the BBC.

[pug1964]

Or you could just move to another country that does not have a tv licence fee, increase your satellite dish size so you can watch all the BBC, ITV, CH4, CH5 and all for free stuff without a problem as the majority of UK " free " channels are broadcast from the Astra satelites at nominal 28E without any form of encryption. OK, they use the spotbeam to concentrate the transmission over the UK, but allowing for leakage and sidebands, dead easy to watch it all in Alicante on a 1.4m dish and any satellite receiver.

As a bonus, booze, fags and eating out is much cheaper!

[pug1964]

@LGUser 

You could jump ship and live in a country with no tv licence and still receive unencrypted transmissions from BBC, ITV etc on a suitable sized dish from Astra at 28E

[LGUser]

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@pug1964 wrote:

@LGUser 

You could jump ship and live in a country with no tv licence and still receive unencrypted transmissions from BBC, ITV etc on a suitable sized dish from Astra at 28E

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I did live in a country where there is no TV license. Public broadcasting in the US was paid for by the government, donations, and sponsorships/grants. It's not forced on us to pay extra to watch TV.

[TimmyBGood]

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@pug1964 wrote:

@LGUser 

You could jump ship and live in a country with no tv licence and still receive unencrypted transmissions from BBC, ITV etc on a suitable sized dish from Astra at 28E

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Not Eire (licence), though. Or France (licence).  Or Germany  (mandatory licence).  And it will cost you in Italy (tax on electricity bill).

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

Actually, mostly Spain, where television was introduced in the 1950s using state funding to serve as a propaganda tool of the last fascist regime in Europe.

Oh, and Portugal*, under pseudo-fascism ended by a military coup in 1974.

History, eh?

*which also now uses a tax on electricity bills

[Anonymous]

About time in this day and age there were more options. As many cant stand the BBC or its crappy content imo.