Do you pay your TV licence fee?
Discussion
This was the topic of conversation at a Christmas party I went to.
The room was very divided. Those of a certain age, I'd guess over forty were in the camp I'm in "yes, of course, everyone does".
Those in their twenties "no, no one does".
Polling friends of my kids and an intern at work it seems that they all think the licence fee should be regarded as optional and they choose not to take that option.
The room was very divided. Those of a certain age, I'd guess over forty were in the camp I'm in "yes, of course, everyone does".
Those in their twenties "no, no one does".
Polling friends of my kids and an intern at work it seems that they all think the licence fee should be regarded as optional and they choose not to take that option.
No, stopped last year as I was just watching streaming stuff and what I was seeing on the BBC was more and more woke crap.
Basically it's Youtube that has replaced channel hopping and Amazon Prime for the occasional movie or TV series. I also have Netflix but haven't really used it much in months so I may do a binge of what I want to see and then drop it for a while.
Basically it's Youtube that has replaced channel hopping and Amazon Prime for the occasional movie or TV series. I also have Netflix but haven't really used it much in months so I may do a binge of what I want to see and then drop it for a while.
simonrockman said:
Polling friends of my kids and an intern at work it seems that they all think the licence fee should be regarded as optional and they choose not to take that option.
Interesting phrasing 
The licence covers watching "broadcast television", and as is right, sets out fairly clearly what you need to be doing to fall within the remit of the obligation to have a licence. As I know you are aware, consumption of content may not fall within that remit, and it does seem to be a fact that the younger lot are choosing not to. I'd happily stop doing things that mean that I have to pay, but the missus does love a) background noise and b) linear scheduled stuff, so I suck it up.
I am old(er than 40) and have never considered not paying it, but then again I have been accused in these pages before of being excessively keen to follow the rules.
I get a lot of the objections and I do think it needs an overhaul. I also watch very little BBC TV output. But I listen to BBC radio, and I read BBC news. But beyond that, I think that a public broadcaster that is free of the need to court advertisers is a valuable thing to have. My reference point here is always US TV, which is chock-full of drivel and thinly disguised info-mercials that just make me feel unclean. I know our rules about advertising are different - but even so it seems to me that the BBC serves an important role in keeping the rest of the networks in check. And simply for that I willingly pay the license fee.
I get a lot of the objections and I do think it needs an overhaul. I also watch very little BBC TV output. But I listen to BBC radio, and I read BBC news. But beyond that, I think that a public broadcaster that is free of the need to court advertisers is a valuable thing to have. My reference point here is always US TV, which is chock-full of drivel and thinly disguised info-mercials that just make me feel unclean. I know our rules about advertising are different - but even so it seems to me that the BBC serves an important role in keeping the rest of the networks in check. And simply for that I willingly pay the license fee.
I pay it and always have. I am approaching 60 years old so maybe I fit into the categories the OP mentioned. I do listen to BBC radio a lot, but I find myself watching less and less BBC TV, I don't often watch streamed TV, but I do record everything I watch just so i can fast forward through the adverts, I really don't think I would miss BBC TV if I stopped watching it.
I think I maybe need to move myself over to streaming services and stop the BBC fees.
I think I maybe need to move myself over to streaming services and stop the BBC fees.
A subject close to my heart, but only because I was the victim ( a stupidly strong word but viable) of false billing and transactions from a Capita goon years ago, which led me to investigate the whole tv licence thing in depth.
I have also experienced living in a shared house, where a fellow tenant had been sent a demand after buying a bloody HDMI lead from Argos then sent a licence demand to the house and the house obviously had a licence as I paid it and it was not a student house so only one licence was necessary, so their system is not fit for purpose as this guy would have paid it happily no questions asked where it not for him asking me if I had any stamps! Can you imagine trying to get that money back?
I was sent multiple demands and eventually a whole fake transaction was sent to me by the licencing goons that was clearly fraudulent, I sent all the data to the central licencing people and received a grovelling apology, so when you deal with this stuff you do some research.
I am aware of people who have kept every letter received over many years, never declared online, never opened the door, it just goes in cycles, same names, different signatures, detector vans are a myth, if you legitimately never watch it you can easily avoid it.
I would prefer to pay a sub for their online content which I use a lot and the radio, but not tv as I have no interest in watching it so their current system is simply a tax. Which I refuse to pay and can happily not tick the box that means I need a licence, but as said I would happily pay an online radio content licence if possible
I have also experienced living in a shared house, where a fellow tenant had been sent a demand after buying a bloody HDMI lead from Argos then sent a licence demand to the house and the house obviously had a licence as I paid it and it was not a student house so only one licence was necessary, so their system is not fit for purpose as this guy would have paid it happily no questions asked where it not for him asking me if I had any stamps! Can you imagine trying to get that money back?
I was sent multiple demands and eventually a whole fake transaction was sent to me by the licencing goons that was clearly fraudulent, I sent all the data to the central licencing people and received a grovelling apology, so when you deal with this stuff you do some research.
I am aware of people who have kept every letter received over many years, never declared online, never opened the door, it just goes in cycles, same names, different signatures, detector vans are a myth, if you legitimately never watch it you can easily avoid it.
I would prefer to pay a sub for their online content which I use a lot and the radio, but not tv as I have no interest in watching it so their current system is simply a tax. Which I refuse to pay and can happily not tick the box that means I need a licence, but as said I would happily pay an online radio content licence if possible
Jiebo said:
Mid 30s here, I haven’t paid for it since I moved into my own place at 25. I don’t intend to ever pay for it.
I don’t watch scheduled live TV as it’s outdated and 99% of the content is utter garbage.
Same here. Subs to 150+ Youtube channels, Netflix and Prime are my content providers now-a-days. Drives my dad and older sister mad that I don't watch broadcast TV. Been like that for years now and still they'll say "did you watch so'n'so on BBC the other night?" and be utterly baffled when I remind them I don't watch TV.I don’t watch scheduled live TV as it’s outdated and 99% of the content is utter garbage.
No. I used to love the BBC and its output but there is so little now that I can associate with. BBC Radio comedy used to be groundbreaking but now the same old collection of BBC faces and the usual PC "Islington" appeal comedy. BBC TV comedy, there isn't any.
Radio 2 can now only listen to the great Ken Bruce.
Drama and documentary so deliberately diverse it distracts from what could be good drama.
David Attenborough banging on about us all burning in a fire ball of death because "global warming"
The last straw was TMS. The last bastion of a place for blokes to enjoy, but no, has to be invaded by women to satisfy the figures of diversity.
BBC news, I don't buy the neutrality argument. That is impossible. What we don't want or need is commentary or opinion, just the facts, the news.
The only thing I like is there are no ads and it is cheap, however there is no longer anything in it for me.
Radio 2 can now only listen to the great Ken Bruce.
Drama and documentary so deliberately diverse it distracts from what could be good drama.
David Attenborough banging on about us all burning in a fire ball of death because "global warming"
The last straw was TMS. The last bastion of a place for blokes to enjoy, but no, has to be invaded by women to satisfy the figures of diversity.
BBC news, I don't buy the neutrality argument. That is impossible. What we don't want or need is commentary or opinion, just the facts, the news.
The only thing I like is there are no ads and it is cheap, however there is no longer anything in it for me.
I'm early 30's and buy a license, alternating in mine and my wife's name every 18-24m. Occasionally they'll try and backdate it, once when they did I recalled the payment via the bank (hence the switching names). Only do it as they don't generally turn up <6-9m after one has expired and we do have Sky so it'll be flagged somewhere. If I had the choice I'd never pay, especially given the propaganda they've been pushing over the last 18m
parabolica said:
Same here. Subs to 150+ Youtube channels, Netflix and Prime are my content providers now-a-days. Drives my dad and older sister mad that I don't watch broadcast TV. Been like that for years now and still they'll say "did you watch so'n'so on BBC the other night?" and be utterly baffled when I remind them I don't watch TV.
I am heading this way but still watch the occasional thing on BBC, but less and less.In a few years I might stop watching broadcast TV altogether but then will need to find another way to watch Wimbledon and the Olympics.
I am re-watching all of Top gear on the Iplayer at the moment, though that perhaps indicates the issue that the main thing I am currently watching from the BBC is something they made 15 years ago with three blokes without PC opinions....
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