TV Licence Super Thread

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A Firestick doesn't have a battery so you are 100% covered as long as your parents do have a valid licence.

Go to https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one

Press the Expand button next to “Do I need a TV Licence to watch TV away from home?” and you get

“you plug your device into the mains, you’ll be covered if that property already has a TV Licence (e.g. you go to a friend’s house and they have a licence). Otherwise, you’ll need to buy a separate TV Licence for that property.

your device is not plugged in (i.e. you’re watching or recording live TV programmes on any channel, or downloading or watching BBC programmes on iPlayer, using devices powered solely by internal batteries) you will be covered by your home TV Licence.”

That’s changed since last time I checked just before Christmas.

It never had anything to do with if you had it plugged into mains or not. They can’t detect unless they have built in logging somewhere that sends the logs to bbc with diagnostics information. Interesting.
 
Soldato
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Received an email from them saying they've noticed i've been using iplayer and i now need to buy a TV license.

I don't have a TV at my home and registered as not having one with them.

Do i still need a license even though i'm using iplayer when i'm at my parents whom have a license already?

Make a new account and DON'T use your real address (never use your real details online unless your buying something. I use the one for BBC HQ :p). They will just be cross referencing addresses against a database of people without a license.

A VPN is a good idea these days too, run it 100% of the time your using the internet along with anything within the browser to block tracking cookies etc, block ALL ads as they are a huge security hole. That will make you anonymous enough for no one to even bother trying to track you, unless you pop up on MI6's radar or something.
 
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Associate
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Used to get a lot of letters, I legitimately don't watch any BBC, any other TV or any iplayer.

Phoned them up and had chat with a decent chap and told him the truth. He said they end up proving that 1 in 6 people that claim not to watch licensed TV without a license are lying. I truthfully told him I definitely didn't watch any TV and he rightfully believed me.

Never heard a peep from them since, no letters, nothing.
 
Soldato
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Just had my monthly threat-o-gram in the post today. Straight in the shredder unopened.

The amount of postage they have wasted on me over the years they could have bought me a licence.
 
Soldato
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S.Wales
Hi all. I have a TV in my living room but never watch really BBC or ITV of other channels.. the antenna is disconnted from my TV downstairs and I have a smart TV but use it for the odd Netflix . I have told them I do not watch live TV or catch-up. And I moved in to the property in Jun 2018 but because of doing up the house not really watched anything other than Netflix.

Iv.declared that I do not need a TV licence.but they are now saying they are scheduled to send someone.round..

Is there anything I can do? If they do what do they check?
 
Associate
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Norton
Hi all. I have a TV in my living room but never watch really BBC or ITV of other channels.. the antenna is disconnted from my TV downstairs and I have a smart TV but use it for the odd Netflix . I have told them I do not watch live TV or catch-up. And I moved in to the property in Jun 2018 but because of doing up the house not really watched anything other than Netflix.

Iv.declared that I do not need a TV licence.but they are now saying they are scheduled to send someone.round..

Is there anything I can do? If they do what do they check?

They won't come, I've had a scheduled check coming round for the past 4 years and non have actually came. And even if they do you don't have to let them in they arnt police.
 
Soldato
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Rannoch
Hi all. I have a TV in my living room but never watch really BBC or ITV of other channels.. the antenna is disconnted from my TV downstairs and I have a smart TV but use it for the odd Netflix . I have told them I do not watch live TV or catch-up. And I moved in to the property in Jun 2018 but because of doing up the house not really watched anything other than Netflix.

Iv.declared that I do not need a TV licence.but they are now saying they are scheduled to send someone.round..

Is there anything I can do? If they do what do they check?

Even in the unlikely event they appear, simply close the door.
 
Soldato
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Wetherspoons
Something I have been thinking about this morning.

I was watching a very good YouTube video this morning, motorcycle related fortnine - KLR destruction, or something like that. I really enjoyed it and thought to myself it's better than anything I had seen on regular TV for some time.

Watching youtYou, Netflix has now become the norm for us, and I thought to myself, actually how much live television do I even watch?

Well, a few seconds whilst my TV boots up it's YouTube app, or Netflix.

Then I thought about the TV licence, which is what £160 a year now? And I'm starting to think, that is becoming an expensive few seconds of live TV I'm not even paying attention to.

Is my TV licence becoming like a gym membership when I never go?

It's something the wife and myself are going to think about over the next monrh, and try and actively monitor how much live TV we actually watch.

So my questions I guess, are any of you thinking the same, or, have any of you already made the jump?

If so, any regrets? And issues you ran into? What alternatives do you have?

And finally, if someone were to move away from live TV, what legally, would have you to prove, disprove, or otherwise do to be on the right side of the law whilst not paying a TV licence?
 
Soldato
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We went without a TV licence for about a year when we moved into our current house about 6 years ago. We weren't watching TV at all really at the time, though, so no Netflix etc. In fact, We went for a 10Gb limit on the broadband, which didn't cause any hardship.

Seems a bit weird when I look back, to be honest.

Currently, we do watch some licence-able TV - mostly iPlayer - but generally get everything from Netflix and Prime. It's an annoyance that the TV licence costs more than the two services we actually get proper use from, but I am mostly supportive of there being a TV licence and a BBC.
 
Soldato
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No longer riding an Italian
Something I have been thinking about this morning.

I was watching a very good YouTube video this morning, motorcycle related fortnine - KLR destruction, or something like that. I really enjoyed it and thought to myself it's better than anything I had seen on regular TV for some time.

Watching youtYou, Netflix has now become the norm for us, and I thought to myself, actually how much live television do I even watch?

Well, a few seconds whilst my TV boots up it's YouTube app, or Netflix.

Then I thought about the TV licence, which is what £160 a year now? And I'm starting to think, that is becoming an expensive few seconds of live TV I'm not even paying attention to.

Is my TV licence becoming like a gym membership when I never go?

It's something the wife and myself are going to think about over the next monrh, and try and actively monitor how much live TV we actually watch.

So my questions I guess, are any of you thinking the same, or, have any of you already made the jump?

If so, any regrets? And issues you ran into? What alternatives do you have?

And finally, if someone were to move away from live TV, what legally, would have you to prove, disprove, or otherwise do to be on the right side of the law whilst not paying a TV licence?

We binned ours a few years back, and frankly, don't feel like we're missing out on anything really.

Prior to the BBC changing their rules on iPlayer, we used to use that to catch up on the few things we did enjoy - mainly the series' about emergency services etc. We had/still have Amazon Prime, Netflix and a hefty Plex library.

The thing we have now, is too much content, and too little time - often finding that it will take us upwards of ten minutes to actually decide what to watch :D

Personally, I have never liked the license fee - mainly because the bully boy tactics that have historically been used to enforce it, and the underhand tones that you are a guilty criminal; until they come into your home to verify you're not watching live programming - but I think there's a whole topic on that elsewhere.
 
Associate
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1 Dec 2017
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Got rid of it a few months ago and have no plans to go back. We were only watching it whilst having breakfast anyway and I couldn't justify spending £160 a year to watch Piers Morgan.

Can easily and legally watch almost all content on catch up (apart from BBC) and tend to watch youtube most of all anyway.
 
Associate
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I have not paid a TV license for over 2 years and only really use netflix, youtube an an Emby library so no loss for me. The stuff on TV is mostly garbage anyway, I think the wife might miss 1 or 2 things a year on BBC at a push but its not worth the £160 a year license fee.

The amount of TV license letters I get through the door is crazy. I call them up every 6 months and tell them I don't need a license yet they continue to bombard me with threatening letters. I will never pay it again and all those letters go in the bin and I don't bother to call them anymore.

I have also had two TV license inspectors turn up attempt to bully my wife to let them in when I am at work. Obviously I have informed my wife on what to tell them, you can all guess what that is ;)
 
Caporegime
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Auckland
Good mod job on merging BUDFORCE's new post with this inane thread. It was driving me mad trying to find this megathread of awful, petulant whining and ~tips~ on how to evade paying your fee because OH GOD I DONT CARE JUST PUT IT ALL IN ONE THREAD AND BICKER BETWEEN YOURSELVES JESUS CHRIST

e: although I liked thegreysquirrel's comment: "I couldn't justify spending £160 a year to watch Piers Morgan."
 
Soldato
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22 Nov 2006
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23,304
I have not paid a TV license for over 2 years and only really use netflix, youtube an an Emby library so no loss for me. The stuff on TV is mostly garbage anyway, I think the wife might miss 1 or 2 things a year on BBC at a push but its not worth the £160 a year license fee.

The amount of TV license letters I get through the door is crazy. I call them up every 6 months and tell them I don't need a license yet they continue to bombard me with threatening letters. I will never pay it again and all those letters go in the bin and I don't bother to call them anymore.

I have also had two TV license inspectors turn up attempt to bully my wife to let them in when I am at work. Obviously I have informed my wife on what to tell them, you can all guess what that is ;)

I've not had a peep out of them since I filled in the "I don't need a licence" form online over a year ago O_o

I see the price went UP to £160 and for what? It's more expensive than Netflix and Amazon prime but has less than a handful of programs worth watching all year :/
 
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