Just to be clear, this isn't the correct interpretation of "live" from the perspective of the TV license. As far as licensing is concerned, watching a "live" broadcast means watching it as the television company is broadcasting it - regardless of whether or not the program they are broadcasting is itself "live" or pre-recorded.
TV Licence rip off...
- Thread starter PESolution
- Start date
Just to be clear, this isn't the correct interpretation of "live" from the perspective of the TV license. As far as licensing is concerned, watching a "live" broadcast means watching it as the television company is broadcasting it - regardless of whether or not the program they are broadcasting is itself "live" or pre-recorded.
Such a thing is based on opinion or personal preference and I personally see no discernible difference between the quality that BBC produces, and that of other broadcasters. I'm not really sure how one would go about refuting opinions, nor would I care to try, but I do not believe I am getting value for money, would rather not pay the fee, and would be happy to lose all BBC content as a result.
Unfortunately I am not given that option (with exception of not having a TV), which is something I personally do not care for.
As has been mentioned, the BBC do provide radio and a rather decent news and sport website. However, as has also been mentioned, you don’t really get a lot of choice as to if you’d like to pay for the service or not, and the BBC have decided to charge ‘everyone’ who has the ability to receive but not necessarily watch their content.
This is where I feel is the stem of resentment from many who belittle or bemoan the services provided.
Sky TV provide free to view channels, and charge through a means of digitally encoded decoder card service for their more premium channels. A service, regardless of its cost, works very well. You want to watch premium sky channels, you pay. Simple.
BBC however is little more complex. You decide to purchase a HDTV and use as a means to view Sky premium channels, and as a means to use a PS3 for example as a BBC iplayer and catchup service, as well as DVD /blu ray playback, but ‘never’ watch live broadcast BBC. Should this person be required to pay a BBC licence fee? And if not, be forever deluged with annoying ‘you must pay now, or else’ heavy handed threats from the BBC?
I feel they shouldn’t have to pay, however the BBC feel differently about this. However, if you have access to the BBC channels, and do not pay the fees, and in turn then watch, for whatever reason a BBC live broadcast, then obviously, you should pay.
Its not fair for those who do pay the fee, and its not fair for this who do not pay a fee and are expected to, only as they have a means to watch BBC, but choose not to.
I do pay my BBC licence fee, as I do watch BBC, topgear for example amongst other shows.. It’s a tricky one. It would be nice to see it somehow encrypted, how this could be done - no idea how.. But if you paid your fee, you get to view.. Just like sky..
This is where I feel is the stem of resentment from many who belittle or bemoan the services provided.
Sky TV provide free to view channels, and charge through a means of digitally encoded decoder card service for their more premium channels. A service, regardless of its cost, works very well. You want to watch premium sky channels, you pay. Simple.
BBC however is little more complex. You decide to purchase a HDTV and use as a means to view Sky premium channels, and as a means to use a PS3 for example as a BBC iplayer and catchup service, as well as DVD /blu ray playback, but ‘never’ watch live broadcast BBC. Should this person be required to pay a BBC licence fee? And if not, be forever deluged with annoying ‘you must pay now, or else’ heavy handed threats from the BBC?
I feel they shouldn’t have to pay, however the BBC feel differently about this. However, if you have access to the BBC channels, and do not pay the fees, and in turn then watch, for whatever reason a BBC live broadcast, then obviously, you should pay.
Its not fair for those who do pay the fee, and its not fair for this who do not pay a fee and are expected to, only as they have a means to watch BBC, but choose not to.
I do pay my BBC licence fee, as I do watch BBC, topgear for example amongst other shows.. It’s a tricky one. It would be nice to see it somehow encrypted, how this could be done - no idea how.. But if you paid your fee, you get to view.. Just like sky..
Soldato
- Joined
- 12 Oct 2003
- Posts
- 2,702
- Location
- Leicester
They should definitely make it opt in. If you had to pay £140 to receive just BBC programming I doubt many people would do it.
i dont get this?
have you ever been outside london?
theres plenty of radio stations everywhere iv been all over the country, has london got millions or something?
Theres enough choice on the airwaves for me everywhere I go.
The BBC website is something I cant see myself living without, and match of the day is legendary... but its a tad steep the price. luckily i dont pay.. I dont even have a TV where i spend most time living though. God bless le interweb
It's due to the bbc radio stations that commercial broadcasting outside of London is in such a bad way.
I'll personally not pay full price for a tv licence whilst a black and white tv licence is cheaper than a blind one.
I have never lived in London but do know from regular visits that the standard and variety of commercial radio stations is significantly higher. Commercial radio in general is of a terrible standard in the UK and outside London it is even more shocking.
Please explain how the BBC is responsible for the poor quality of commercial radio and how removing the BBC stations would make it better?
Soldato
- Joined
- 5 Sep 2005
- Posts
- 11,742
- Location
- Northern Ireland
Just go to the Post Office and get a new one for 12 months. That's what I did when they tried to rip me off like that before. Never had a problem with it, well apart from a letter or two in big scary red letters which I just ignored.
Last edited:
Bedfordshire has really poor commercial radio compared to the BBC stations as "local" options (local as in 99% of the broadcast comes from the same "location" that does most of the other stations owned by the national company), IIRC the last of the good ones lost it's last vestiges of local identity when it was bough out and re branded a couple of years back.
It's also worth noting that most of the BBC stations do a lot more than just playing the same general music over and over again (Radio 4 for example).
Soldato
- Joined
- 13 Oct 2006
- Posts
- 8,152
- Location
- Surrey
This tbh, we did it at uni. We paid the first year yet still got threatening letters despite multiple phonecalls telling them to check their database
We didnt bother paying in the following years, wasnt any point
Soldato
- Joined
- 24 Nov 2002
- Posts
- 16,379
- Location
- 38.744281°N 104.846806°W
YEAH. Lets break more laws. I'm going to steal your computer tonightThis tbh, we did it at uni. We paid the first year yet still got threatening letters despite multiple phonecalls telling them to check their database
.
Soldato
- Joined
- 13 Oct 2006
- Posts
- 8,152
- Location
- Surrey
YEAH. Lets break more laws. I'm going to steal your computer tonight
Heh please dont, I need it for gamez! Seriously though, I dont condone breaking the law but we got the same letters with and without a license so we decided to risk it and it worked
Soldato
- Joined
- 5 Sep 2005
- Posts
- 11,742
- Location
- Northern Ireland
They definitely do send people out, I've had them on my door on two occasions. Both times when I've had a license funnily enough. "Can we see your TV License?", "Err, yeah sure".
Commercial radio relies on advertising and as the bbc has such huge market share advertising revenue is quite low. Without the bbc then more people would listen to commercial radio, advertising would increase and there's a chance programming would get better. Much the same could be said about the bbc and local newspapers.
There is a chance the commercial radio could improve, but there is also the chance i'll see large pink porcines aloft with the avians next time I put the Arachis hypogaea out for the Columba palumbu and Cyanistes caeruleus.
IIRC most of the local radio stations have been crying "we can't afford local radio news" etc for a long time, whilst buying each other up
Commercial Radio (and TV) are run not for the viewers, but for the shareholders, and will generally do the absolute minimum required to get the viewers, who in turn bring in the advertisers, who bring in the money that makes the shareholders happy.
Very little interest in anything that doesn't make them money (news for example), or in the long term prospects, as it's usually seen these days better to get the best return for the outlay for that years accounts, than consider how what they are doing this year might work for them 3-5 years down the line (something I suspect ITV is finding out the hard way - they've spent years cutting back on programming with any sort of repeat/long term appeal that they are increasingly screwed).