Do you pay your TV licence fee?

[TEKNOPUG]

richhead said:

CoolHands said:

They’re onto a losing wicket, they just can’t face it.

well they know that only oap,s will pay, and thats a shrinking market.

It's definitely a growing market.

[tangerine_sedge]

LimaDelta said:

It's not about the cost, it's about their values no longer aligning with many of the British viewers[Citation needed]. It's about essentially funding an organisation and their smug, sneering employees, who brazenly and visibly hate a huge proportion of the British people[Citation needed]. And it's the fact that much of what they produce is low-quality, preachy, propaganda, rather than entertaining or educating[Citation needed]. There are so many other sources these days, that the licence fee is an anachronism. The BBC, like any other broadcaster, should sink or swim on it's own merits, and not rely on coercion and the threat of prosecution to survive.

YMMV.

My gut feeling is that your opinion of the BBC is driven by years of right wing media attacking it, and years of Tory governments using it as a handy dog to kick when their news journalists dare to critique poor policy.

If the BBC didn't exist, then most TV consumed would be of US origin. One only has to look at the current commercial operators to see the lack of quality original UK content created specifically for UK audiences.

[Jamescrs]

Wacky Racer said:

Yes, it's less than £4.00 a week ffs!

A small price to pay for no adverts.

How else are the going to fund the programmes?

That includes Radio as well.

It's not about the money for me, I don't agree with the way the BBC operates and I don't make use of their services so i'm not paying for it.

I don't really care how they fund their programmes or the rest of their network, radio etc as I don't use them in the same way I don't care how Disney fund themselves as I don't subscribe to Disney+.

[LimaDelta]

tangerine_sedge said:

LimaDelta said:

It's not about the cost, it's about their values no longer aligning with many of the British viewers[Citation needed]. It's about essentially funding an organisation and their smug, sneering employees, who brazenly and visibly hate a huge proportion of the British people[Citation needed]. And it's the fact that much of what they produce is low-quality, preachy, propaganda, rather than entertaining or educating[Citation needed]. There are so many other sources these days, that the licence fee is an anachronism. The BBC, like any other broadcaster, should sink or swim on it's own merits, and not rely on coercion and the threat of prosecution to survive.

YMMV.

My gut feeling is that your opinion of the BBC is driven by years of right wing media attacking it, and years of Tory governments using it as a handy dog to kick when their news journalists dare to critique poor policy.

If the BBC didn't exist, then most TV consumed would be of US origin. One only has to look at the current commercial operators to see the lack of quality original UK content created specifically for UK audiences.

Here's a [citation] thought experiment - walk into any BBC exec/talent meeting/staff room and ask for a show of hands who voted to leave the EU. See how many hands go up. Ask the same for how many voted Tory at the last GE, count the hands. I'd wager a large sum that even if there are a few in those rooms, they are unlikely to be brave enough to put up their hands. Ask yourself if there is a cultural reason why? Does the BBC only employ people who have a metropolitan liberal-left bias, or are they the only types drawn to that institution?

[ARHarh]

tangerine_sedge said:

If the BBC didn't exist, then most TV consumed would be of US origin. One only has to look at the current commercial operators to see the lack of quality original UK content created specifically for UK audiences.

I disagree with the US thing, I tend to watch 2 hours of TV every day. I record it from live to air channels, no subscription stuff. And I can't remember the last time I watched an American program. I did watch a Canadian one last night though. Yes some channels are full of American stuff but there is still plenty of UK produced stuff.

I don't seem to find much BBC stuff of interest these days though.

[Mr Penguin]

There is a lot of British film and TV on ITV, Channel 4, probably Sky, and even Netflix. Some of what the BBC broadcast isn't made by the BBC but by other companies who would sell to someone else.
The BBC lost its way in the 90s when they tried to chase ratings and move to the lowest levels of entertainment. At the very least it needs major reforms.

[Jordie Barretts sock]

When there was only the BBC, then a licence to fund it was a reasonable way of solving the problem.

Now the BBC is a very small part of broadcast TV and radio. I don't need a licence to listen to commercial radio, why should I need a licence to watch ITV/YouTube/all the rest?

Make the BBC fully commercial and self funding. That's the obvious and simple answer.

[richhead]

Jordie Barretts sock said:

When there was only the BBC, then a licence to fund it was a reasonable way of solving the problem.

Now the BBC is a very small part of broadcast TV and radio. I don't need a licence to listen to commercial radio, why should I need a licence to watch ITV/YouTube/all the rest?

Make the BBC fully commercial and self funding. That's the obvious and simple answer.

the top people at the bbc wont do this unless forced to, they are milking the gravy train, why would they stop?
if the bbc had to pay its own way it would fail in its current form and they know that.

[funinhounslow]

Wacky Racer said:

Yes, it's less than £4.00 a week ffs!

A small price to pay for no adverts.

How else are the going to fund the programmes?

That includes Radio as well.

It’s £169/year - quite a sum if you have no interest in watching the BBC’s output but just want to watch football live on Sky or whatever.

And there are adverts - they’re forever advertising their own products and services.

I’ve recently subscribed to GHR premium - I think it’s very good value at £40/year but it would be ridiculous to insist that you had to subscribe to it to listen to Virgin radio - and that is pretty much where we are with TV now…