Why do I need a TV Licence……

[AndyPK]

…..to watch ‘live’ broadcasts from other providers other than the BBC? Is there some historical reason that I’m not aware of, or is it just that the ‘Beeb’ have a right to dictate what I can and cannot legally view as it is being broadcast? I do not believe that any of the licence fee goes to other broadcasters, so why should I not be able to view them ‘live’? I’d really like to know…….

 

[busby]

…..to watch ‘live’ broadcasts from other providers other than the BBC? Is there some historical reason that I’m not aware of, or is it just that the ‘Beeb’ have a right to dictate what I can and cannot legally view as it is being broadcast? I do not believe that any of the licence fee goes to other broadcasters, so why should I not be able to view them ‘live’? I’d really like to know…….

Don't buy one.Watch Chilli con Carne on You Tube...Rubbish BBC are putting on TV now isn't worth paying for.BUSBY.

 

[kevenh]

I don’t know why all live tv is encapsulated in the UK TV licence.
For earlier BEEB moans I read it was now known as a taxation scheme but can’t find a reference now.

We can take some comfort from: charging for a tv license is not exclusive to the UK: -

…two-thirds of the countries in Europe and half of the countries in Asia and Africa use television licences to fund public television.

Source

 

[jongood]

It started out as public service broadcasting, now its just another way to manipulate our thoughts while providing highly lucrative earnings to Gary Linaker, Graham Norton, and a few others who have also found that they can use this publicly provided platform for their political emissions.

No I don't mind being forced to pay at all, especially as I have to pay for more than one because I rent out holiday cottages.

 

[69473]

Here we go again 'Beeb Bashing'
I presently pay for Netflix £9.99 per month, Disney £7.99, although will probably cancel as its just announced another price increase, Now tv £9.99 per month, even paid the extra £10 to watch the Grand Prix on Sunday!
I could spend £60 per month on a Sky package like my father.
Personally think the BBC with i Player and local radio offers tremendous value, last night I even used BBC Food for a recipe.
Paying the licence fee also protects thousands of Uk jobs.

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[AndyPK]

Here we go again 'Beeb Bashing'
I presently pay for Netflix £9.99 per month, Disney £7.99, although will probably cancel as its just announced another price increase, Now tv £9.99 per month, even paid the extra £10 to watch the Grand Prix on Sunday!
I could spend £60 per month on a Sky package like my father.
Personally think the BBC with i Player and local radio offers tremendous value, last night I even used BBC Food for a recipe.
Paying the licence fee also protects thousands of Uk jobs.

Ok, I get that, but my question was why do I have to pay the fee to watch ‘live’ tv other than the BBC?

 

[63720]

I believe, somebody put me right please, it's a throwback to a time when there were only 2 broadcasters and the beeb owned all the transmission infrastructure. Times have changed and everything is now privatised but the beeb still need the money to 'entertain' their viewers even if you only watch the adult channels and Quest you still need to pay them under pain of imprisonment. I pay and only watch the local news for the latest CV figures and nothing else. It's a rip off.

 

[Jim]

Here we go again 'Beeb Bashing' I presently pay for Netflix £9.99 per month, Disney £7.99, although will probably cancel as its just announced another price increase, Now tv £9.99 per month, even paid the extra £10 to watch the Grand Prix on Sunday!
I could spend £60 per month on a Sky package like my father.

Imagine Disney saying tough, swallow the increase. You cannot cancel us or we'll stop you watching Netflix no matter how much you pay for it. Bet you'd be Disney bashing then.

 

[dunnah01]

The fee stops you having to watch endless adverts for gambling, ambulance chasers, Covid testers, insurance, booze, etc etc so I'm happy to pay up.

 

[69473]

Ok, go to a subscription service for all tv viewing then everyone has the ultimate choice.
Let the free markets set the price to view and everyone who can pay will do so, those that can't will watch nothing.
Can't believe may Funsters will want to pay more.
So let's all do that, a similar Sky package to the BBC when I last checked excluding live sport was £51 per month.
What a bargain!

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[Jim]

What a bargain!

What a choice.

 

[Jim]

The fee stops you having to watch endless adverts

Last time I looked the BBC was full of adverts.

 

[dunnah01]

Last time I looked the BBC was full of adverts.

But only for the BBC

 

[Littlewheels]

I know it’s attached to the BBC presumably because they were the first true Broadcaster but we had Wireless (Radio) prior and for that we also had a Licence and that what you paid for a Licence! It being a Licence to receive a broadcast through a transmission.
l am sure some older boy that me will correct me if l am mistaken.

 

[Jim]

The fee stops you having to watch endless adverts for gambling, ambulance chasers, Covid testers, insurance, booze, etc etc so I'm happy to pay up.

I agree, I'd probably pay up too. But that would be my choice.

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[busby]

Here we go again 'Beeb Bashing'
I presently pay for Netflix £9.99 per month, Disney £7.99, although will probably cancel as its just announced another price increase, Now tv £9.99 per month, even paid the extra £10 to watch the Grand Prix on Sunday!
I could spend £60 per month on a Sky package like my father.
Personally think the BBC with i Player and local radio offers tremendous value, last night I even used BBC Food for a recipe.
Paying the licence fee also protects thousands of Uk jobs.

That's the difference,,you can cancel Netflix and Sky etc when they are showing rubbish,,,,Busby.

 

[kevenh]

Last time I looked the BBC was full of adverts.

Teaser reels for upcoming programs?
You get those on all content providers.

What you don't get on BBC is those and product ads. Between programmes and during programmes

Worth the <50p a day to avoid ads.

 

[Larrynwin]

Probably the only service we buy that’s not on U Switch , we are forced to pay for it if we want live tv

 

[busby]

But only for the BBC

And,,celebs launching books,,celebs in a new film,celebs in a new West end show etc etc.BUSBY.

 

[Podney]

Teaser reels for upcoming programs?
You get those on all content providers.

What you don't get on BBC is those and product ads. Between programmes and during programmes

Worth the <50p a day to avoid ads.

Yes,but some of the ads are better than the programmes! Watched one last night that was a tortoise on roller skates rushing around………turned out to be an ad for a train company. I found it very amusing……….but then I’m easily pleased

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[Jim]

I'd like everyone here to buy a fishing licence please.

But I don't go fishing

Prove it,

You'll have to take my word for it, I dont fish

Its against the law to fish without a licence

I don't fish

We'll send someone round to check behind your wardrobe for fishing rods

But i don't fish

You could be fined £1000, just buy a fishing licence and we'll stop pestering you

But I don't Fish

So you say but we will still send someone around to check

But I don't Effin Fish

ad infinitem

 

[Jim]

But only for the BBC

Well that makes them even less interesting!

 

[Jim]

Just read that this year they admitted that 1.7m people have told the BBC they do not need a licence. That's a cool £270m lost. But chicken feed compared to the £5bn they get given every year to compete against tax paying companies.

 

[TDub49]

That's the difference,,you can cancel Netflix and Sky etc when they are showing rubbish,,,,Busby.

And you can cancel the BBC if you don't like it that much (not forgetting that your licence includes all BBC local radio for what it's worth). Of course, you won't watch anything that is broadcast live but you can always catch up on one of the streaming services eventually.

Mind you, if you look at the content of some, it contains a huge amount of BBC produced output which would, of course, eventually cease as the BBC was consigned to history (along with the NHS, the welfare state and all those other inconvenient things that readers of certain newspapers are being 'educated' to despise).

Personally, as you will have guessed, despite the fact that the Beeb is now an undisguised part of the official govt propaganda machine, I am happy paying 44p a day for output like the current drama Vigil, or Line of Duty or Planet Earth or any of the other brilliant dramas/documentaries/sitcoms/music that have been produced over the years and which now form part of the libraries of many of the streaming services.

 

[Ejaydee]

But only for the BBC

Yes agreed, but how annoying it is all the time, with Strictly rubbish, or Eastenders crud being streamed at every available opportunity, and it is no better than watching the ambulance chasers on the other channels. It has got more and more frequent for the Beeb to stream self congratulationary adverts over the last decade or so.

Sadly now I next to never watch the BBC channels because there is so little progammed content of interest, nor do I very often listen to the Beeb on the radio either, so we are paying our fee (tax) to listen to, or watch, other broadcasters' offerings including all their annoying adverts. About the only programme I will consiously turn over to watch is Gardener's World (yes a boring old fart I may be), but all too often it gets shifted to BBC2 when there is something deemed much more important i.e b****y football.

Paying the licence fee also protects thousands of Uk jobs.

A large proportion of which get paid extortionate rates that the rest of us plebs can only dream of (I am not talking about the unseen people behind the cameras). Please do not give me the usual platitudes that the BBC has to pay 'commercial' rates to get the best people, because that just does not wash when you see the likes of Linneker et al, and other so called "stars" being paid well over the odds.

Is it envy on my part, no, best of luck to those who really stand out and entertain, educate or inform the watching public and who would be snapped up by the competitors, but they are few and far apart IMO.

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[kevenh]

The current charter is up for renewal in 2027.
Still time for 25 more Beeb moan threads until another way to fund the BBC comes along. Until then read up on MSE Advice here

FWIW the BBC is the standard setting broadcaster.

 

[AndyPK]

The current charter is up for renewal in 2027.
Still time for 25 more Beeb moan threads until another way to fund the BBC comes along. Until then read up on MSE Advice here

FWIW the BBC is the standard setting broadcaster.

Only 25….?

 

[Ejaydee]

despite the fact that the Beeb is now an undisguised part of the official govt propaganda machine

Really, what a load of tripe.

 

[VXman]

I'd be happy for it just to be funded directly from general taxation. Lots of countries have state braodcasters. I'm not sure how they are funded but I don't imagine many have a 'lisense' system like ours. It is just another tax so be honest about it. While we're at it lets scrap NI too. And council tax,

 

[busby]

Ok, go to a subscription service for all tv viewing then everyone has the ultimate choice.
Let the free markets set the price to view and everyone who can pay will do so, those that can't will watch nothing.
Can't believe may Funsters will want to pay more.
So let's all do that, a similar Sky package to the BBC when I last checked excluding live sport was £51 per month.
What a bargain!

The current charter is up for renewal in 2027.
Still time for 25 more Beeb moan threads until another way to fund the BBC comes along. Until then read up on MSE Advice here

FWIW the BBC is the standard setting broadcaster.

Think that's a WAS..Cannot believe how many people they are pushing into presenting jobs that know nothing about the subject they are presenting but fulfill The BBC s inclusivity policy..Plus the salaries they pay to awful presenters,Zoe Ball,Claudia Winkleman,Jeremy Vine,Lineker etc etc. Something wrong with a public funded organisation that is struggling for money and then paying salaries like that.Bit like some of our football clubs.BUSBY.

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