Could a UK member explain TV licensing to me?

[McCracAttack]

I ran across this site and I’m confused by it:

http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/

Do you REALLY need a license to watch TV in the UK? Is this even enforced and how so? Do you need a license for other things too like listening to the radio? Or am I completely misunderstanding this whole thing?

 

[Aughavey]

Yes you need a licence and yes it is enforced. The TV licencing people keep a database and have scanners and if you are caught with a TV without a licence you can be fined or taken to court.

There is a licence for colour TV`s and a cheaper one for Black and white TV`s and some pensioners get theirs free.
The TV licence funds the BBC, it`s TV channels and all its Radio stations (ie TV - BBC1 BBC2 and all the new digital BBC channels on cable and sattelite as well as the regional variations like BBC1 Northern Ireland, BBC 1 Scotlan, BBC 1 Wales, BBC 1 London etc and also all the Radio stations like BBC Radio Ulster, BBC Radio Scotland, BBC Radio 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 etc)

You have to understand that the BBC has no advertising but also that it is independent and not a governmetn controlled station like in other countries, it is funded entirely through the TV licence except for some commercial enterprises like BBC America. RTE in the Republic of Ireland is similar and if you live on the island of Ireland (North or South) you can recive the UK and Irish channels )

 

[sunshinejennii]

T.V Licensing is strict, every student has to have a seperate license when they are in univeristy accomodation. I have a friend who's parents own a hotel and they have to pay for 2 licenses, one is a business one for the TVs in the hotel and one is for their TV.

 

[oldrooster]

I would happily pay for a licence, if I could have no commercials.....

 

[kurabrhm]

I ran across this site and I’m confused by it:

http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/

Do you REALLY need a license to watch TV in the UK? Is this even enforced and how so? Do you need a license for other things too like listening to the radio? Or am I completely misunderstanding this whole thing?

Actually the future of tv licensing is in doubt. There's currently some debate going on as to whether they're actually needed. Some argue that the BBC is going against the grain and is actually earning too much money from the license fee and yet they aren't delivering high quality programs. I envisage, hopefully, that tv licensing will be in trouble when the whole of UK goes from analogue to digital. That leap forward may just be the final nail in the coffin for UK tv license.
With digital there may be other ways of funding the station rather than just taxing the public. I think digital is a lot more complimentary towards commercialism, so the BBC may eventually go the same way as the Americans and Australians in a few years time.

 

[LiberatedChick]

Yes you do need a license if you have a TV....don't need one for listening to the radio though. As Aughavey has said the license funds the BBC services both on TV and radio and they can and do enforce it.

 

[puppy]

i think it is definately worth it, if you dint have a license how would the bbc fund all the repeats and old films they constantly show i think by now for the bbc to produce some new ideas and programmes would be too much of a shock to the system anyway

 

[Live2Serve]

Has anybody here watched BBC 3 yet ?(one if those new digital channels)
I was watching it the other day, and it sort of had adverts. By that I mean the program I was watching had breaks in it (only 90 secs long tough) and during these breaks they showed adverts, only they weren't they were mickey takes.

Chris :o)

 

[but'n'ben]

The TV license company is the bane of society! Almost as bad as the tax people

 

[kurabrhm]

Has anybody here watched BBC 3 yet ?(one if those new digital channels)
I was watching it the other day, and it sort of had adverts. By that I mean the program I was watching had breaks in it (only 90 secs long tough) and during these breaks they showed adverts, only they weren't they were mickey takes.

Chris :o)

YEAH I KNOW!!
I WANT THAT ONE!!!
YEAH BUT NO BUT YEAH BUT NO BUT...oh whatever!
"Hello! My name's Daffyd and I'm the only gay in this village."


This pretty much sums up BBC 3 for me!

Thanks.

 

[kurabrhm]

The TV license company is the bane of society! Almost as bad as the tax people

Aye.

 

[Karl - Liberal Backslider]

How would you fund BBC without it?

General taxation or advertising. I loathe bloody adverts; the BBC's redeeming feature is lack of inane attempts to make me want some piece of electronic *****.

 

[SoLaWaVe]

Hu? where did that come from..only Gay...? anyway... No one IS gay..just sexually broken... i know this...as i am.

 

[Karl - Liberal Backslider]

It's a quote from Little Britain, a UK comedy.

I know several people who are gay, and seem terribly whole to both themselves and to me.

 

[SoLaWaVe]

whole? ..to thmself and you? whats that mean ?

 

[theFijian]

The TV license company is the bane of society! Almost as bad as the tax people

If it wasn't for the TV License the BBC would be just like ITV, or worse, Sky One.

 

[but'n'ben]

The BBC is the worst channel on TV. Fortunately I have digital and can avoid terrestrial TV and Sky one.
The God channel is the only decent channel with good shows as well as adverts!

 

[Treasure the Questions]

No one IS gay..just sexually broken...

That's a strange way of looking at it. What makes you think of it like that?

Karin

 

[theFijian]

The BBC is the worst channel on TV. Fortunately I have digital and can avoid terrestrial TV and Sky one.
The God channel is the only decent channel with good shows as well as adverts!

You think cable channels are better than the BBC?? No accounting for taste I suppose

 

[cygnusx1]

The UK license fee is controversial because it is a TV (not a programs) license.

So you are having to pay that government organisation an extra Tax each year...........
you get all the programs on Sky anyway , all paid for additionally of course....