TV Licence Super Thread

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ken
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I use the iPlayer daily for live BBC news. I also find it brilliant for BBC Parliament although I only catch PMQs on a Wednesday lately. I've been ploughing through the Spooks back catalogue along with Only Connect and my daughter loves CBBC.

When driving, I prefer to listen to radio 2 or radio 4 via the BBC Sounds app because it pauses when I take a phone call which is really handy compared to listening on DAB.

BBC news website is also a daily staple for me although I'm not sure I need a TV licence for that? Netflix doesn't come close to what the BBC provides, I'd say of all the streaming type services we pay for that Amazon provided the most useful with Prime when you consider the parcel delivery stuff that's included, but the BBC definitely runs it a close second.

My Sky contract is up in May and it's definitely going as it's all streaming and aerial in our house now - Sky is the biggest waste of cash or them all by a country mile.
 
Reality|Bites said:
If you only watched the BBC on your mobile phone would you still need a licence?
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Well the rules around that are a little odd. If you go to someone's house and you watch TV on your mobile and you have a license you are ok when running from battery. If you plug your phone into charge suddenly you are not ok and your license doesn't cover you. If they have a licence you should be covered either way as its for the home not per person.

EDIT: edited this post to make it clearer.
 
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Megahurtz400 said:
As a follow on to this, if TV licence covers the address and not the person, if I don't have a TV licence but i'm at my parents who do, and i watch BBC iPlayer, am I covered by their licence?
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EDIT: You need to look up the battery rules it gets a bit weird if the device is powered frombattery or mains.
 
Pottsey said:
EDIT: You need to look up the battery rules it gets a bit weird if the device is powered frombattery or mains.
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Do I need a TV Licence if I watch on a mobile device?

If you’re using a mobile device powered solely by its own internal batteries – like a smartphone, tablet or laptop – you will be covered by your home’s TV Licence, wherever you’re using it in the UK and Channel Islands.

However, if you’re away from home and plug one of these devices into the mains and use it to watch or record live TV programmes on any channel or device, or to download or watch BBC programmes on iPlayer, you need to be covered by a separate TV Licence at that address (unless you’re in a vehicle or vessel like a train, car or boat). It’s the law.
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So as long as I plug my phone into a charger while at my parents then i'm covered, what if it actually becomes unplugged, do I need to buy a TV Licence for the year? :p

My question was more a poke at how ridiculous the whole thing is, the sooner it's abolished and the BBC run ads the better, can't remember the last time I watched anything BBC or streamed live.
 
Still so much wrong info here after all these years and the info is clearly there to read now not on some hidden anti licence sites.

Also AFAIR if you have no license and you parents come over who do they could watch your TV legally if they have a licence.

You do not need am license if you do not watch/record live TV nothing to do with the device and if its plugged in and works or not as it would need to be to watch DVD's or Netflix etc.
 
They made the rules very unenforcable. like saying you need a licence if you are away from home and watch TV on your mobile, but if you plug it in then the premises you're at needs one lol.
 
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JohnG7 said:
Also AFAIR if you have no license and you parents come over who do they could watch your TV legally if they have a licence.
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Only if the device is running from battery. As soon as it is plugged into the mains there license no longer covers them in your home. They can watch TV on the phone but if they plug the phone in as the battery is getting low and keep watching they are suddenly unlicensed even though they have a licensed.

EDIT:
"You do not need am license if you do not watch/record"
Technically that is incorrect as you can not watch/record live TV and still at times need a license. Also if it is plugged in or not not changes when/if the license is covered or not.
 
Reality|Bites said:
so just unplug it if you get a chap at the door?
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Realistically you are not going to get in trouble over it as like you say one can just unplug the charger. I am just stating the official rules which are rather silly.

Just like technically if you plug your TV in a big UPS which is just a battery pack and have no mains and no license yourself. You can watch live TV and use your parents license and say they are watching via a battery powered device. I wouldn't want to bother fighting that myself but technically from a legal point of view that is correct.
 
Nasher said:
Pretty much. This is what people do in uni accomidation I think :p

It isn't plugged in, so it isn't on mains, no licence required.
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Its not that no license is required, its that when its on battery other license can cover it even if you are not at that location. So most claim battery powered under there parents license even if miles away. That's the loop hole. Never used it myself just stating the law and what people do.
 
Pottsey said:
Its not that no license is required, its that when its on battery other license can cover it even if you are not at that location. So most claim battery powered under there parents license even if miles away. That's the loop hole. Never used it myself just stating the law and what people do.
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But also if it isn't plugged in, they can't be watching TV with it. If the "enforcer" plugs it in and looks, they have destroyed the evidence as they tampered with the equipment.
 
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