The internet licence fee:

[gmb45]

Viewers who watch TV on computer could be charged from next year, hints minister


~~~~~~ rip off briton again


Viewers who watch television on their computer could be forced to pay the licence fee as early as next year.
Those who do not own a TV but watch programmes on services such as the BBC's iPlayer do not have to pay the ?145.50 annual charge.
But Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt yesterday hinted that this exemption could be stopped.
The Tory MP revealed that he plans to discuss the issue with BBC Director General Mark Thompson when the corporation's funding levels come up for review next year.


Viewers who watch TV on computer could be charged from next year, hints minister



It follows growing evidence that more television viewers are turning to online servies to watch their favourite programmes.

The BBC's technology chief Erik Huggers recently expressed concern that some viewers are getting 'a free ride' by watching its shows on the internet rather than on television.
He suggested increasing the cost of the TV licence to include the iPlayer.
But Mr Hunt said he would not be in favour of simply charging anyone who owned a computer in the same way that anyone who owns a TV has to pay the licence fee.
Speaking on BBC1's Andrew Marr show yesterday, he said: 'What we have said very clearly is that we accept the principle of the licence fee which is the idea, if you like, of a household tax to fund public service broadcasting that is ring-fenced.
'We think one of the reasons we have some of the best television and broadcasting in the world in this country is because we have these different streams of income, including the licence fee, including subscription income and including advertising.
'Now, the way we collect it may have to be rethought because technology is changing. A lot of people are watching TV on their PCs.
'We are not going to introduce a PC licence fee. That is something [about which] I do need to have discussions with the BBC to see what their ideas are.'
Asked about changes in the price of the licence fee, he added: 'We haven't had any discussion at all about the level of the licence fee, that's something we'll be doing next year.'

A review by the BBC's governing body, the BBC Trust, revealed 40 per cent of students in halls of residence use a laptop as their main way to watch TV.
It admitted that some viewers might 'forgo live television entirely' by watching catch-up services.
The iPlayer makes shows available for seven days after they were broadcast.
A spokesman for the TaxPayers' Alliance described the licence fee as 'increasingly outdated'.
'The Government should be looking for a source of funding that means fewer people are charged for programmes they don't watch or listen to,' the spokesman said.
'The first step should be to cut the licence fee and force the BBC to start operating more efficiently and cutting back on the bloated bureaucracy that consumes too much of its resources.'

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The internet licence fee: Viewers who watch TV on computer could be charged from next year, hints minister | Mail Online

[nara]

Seems fair enough. Why should i pay my license fee so that non-payers can benefit?

You don't get ought for nought.

[gmb45]

might be a better idea if they took the fee from the bb providers.

[Herbie]

Would a wii be classed as a computer because my young one will use that to watch her soaps?

Mind thinking about it I don't have a TV license, I get a free ride off the ones that pay (smart thinking )

[basco]

why would anyone want to pay to watch the bbc is beyond me the only good programs on it is top gear,formula 1 and the news.what you get is,loads of old reruns & endless commercials. the minister needs to let the bbc fend for themselves and find better ways of generating capital. itv and others dont get the funding from TV licences fees only the bbc
benefits."please correct me if i'm wrong" but i think that TV licensing fees is wrong & is just another way of getting something for nothing from hard working mums and dads. why should people have to fork out their hard earned cash to buy a TV and then you have to have a licence to watch it how daft is that?who's idea was it in the first place? yes the bbc! so i do hope the honourable minister has got what we little people call some "common sense" and see that charging people for watching their TV programs on their computers is absolutely unreasonable and unworkable. people pay their monthly broadband subscriptions for a reason and no one should be asked to fork out more money for using a service which is being presently offered for free.ie watching telly programs on-line.

[Lyrrad]

why would anyone want to pay to watch the bbc is beyond me the only good programs on it is top gear,formula 1 and the news.what you get is,loads of old reruns & endless commercials. the minister needs to let the bbc fend for themselves and find better ways of generating capital. itv and others dont get the funding from TV licences fees only the bbc
benefits."please correct me if i'm wrong" but i think that TV licensing fees is wrong & is just another way of getting something for nothing from hard working mums and dads. why should people have to fork out their hard earned cash to buy a TV and then you have to have a licence to watch it how daft is that?who's idea was it in the first place? yes the bbc! so i do hope the honourable minister has got what we little people call some "common sense" and see that charging people for watching their TV programs on their computers is absolutely unreasonable and unworkable. people pay their monthly broadband subscriptions for a reason and no one should be asked to fork out more money for using a service which is being presently offered for free.ie watching telly programs on-line.

The real deal is that at the moment there is no charge for watching online PROVIDED it is not being watched at the same time it is being broadcast. I totally agree with you that the BBC needs to fend for itself. If they feel the need to charge ?10,?20,?30 per month to watch their channels then the user should be able to make a choice. To me, their worth about ?5 a month max.

[Anthony_lst]

Seems fair enough. Why should i pay my license fee so that non-payers can benefit?

You don't get ought for nought.

I personally think your reply should be why should i pay a licence fee at all when all the best bbc is on pay per view. E.G. HD tv. Surely one shouldnt fund private enterprise with public funds for tv programmes. When we pay for the service why are only the selected few recieving it. Should the BBC be taken to court for Theft by deception. They took my money and gave it to sky

[nara]

I personally think your reply should be why should i pay a licence fee at all when all the best bbc is on pay per view. E.G. HD tv.

I personally think you should check your facts. BBC HD is free. Have you never heard of Freesat HD or Freeview HD.

If you choose to view it via the Sky platform, that's your problem.

[radioham]

why would anyone want to pay to watch the bbc is beyond me the only good programs on it is top gear,formula 1 and the news.what you get is,loads of old reruns & endless commercials. the minister needs to let the bbc fend for themselves and find better ways of generating capital. itv and others dont get the funding from TV licences fees only the bbc
benefits."please correct me if i'm wrong" but i think that TV licensing fees is wrong & is just another way of getting something for nothing from hard working mums and dads. why should people have to fork out their hard earned cash to buy a TV and then you have to have a licence to watch it how daft is that?who's idea was it in the first place? yes the bbc! so i do hope the honourable minister has got what we little people call some "common sense" and see that charging people for watching their TV programs on their computers is absolutely unreasonable and unworkable. people pay their monthly broadband subscriptions for a reason and no one should be asked to fork out more money for using a service which is being presently offered for free.ie watching telly programs on-line.

My thoughts exactly!!!!!!!!I dont watch or listen to their rubbish,but still have to pay them!!!But not after next year,they've had their pound (sorry kilo) of flesh!!!Scrap the scam,make 'em compete!!!Cheers Chas.

[Gumbo]

You're all suckers for paying that license fee.

I've been watching TV on my wrist watch since the 80's and have yet to cough up a single penny.

[Cronus]

Why not give out a unique TV Licence number after people have paid for their TV Licence?

When these people want to use iPlayer then they can enter the code and be able to view. If you don't have a code then no viewing.
Anyone who hasn't paid for a licence then can't use iPlayer.

If they did it that way then legitimate paying customers wouldn't be penalised having to pay twice.

[Meat-Head]

Why not give out a unique TV Licence number after people have paid for their TV Licence?

.

That's an awesome idea, BUT

a) We are not alloud to upload keygens on here anymore

b) Just use the serial number of you licence/account

[Lyrrad]

Re: The internet licence fee:

Why not give out a unique TV Licence number after people have paid for their TV Licence?


If they did it that way then legitimate paying customers wouldn't be penalised having to pay twice.

Great idea but that's not their point. At present you need a license to watch anything aired in the UK that is being broadcast. So "I only watch Albanian channels being broadcast from Albania" doesn't wash. It's being asked in the UK and that's all that masters. Iplayer is exactly the same as watching a BBC DVD Life On Earth recording as the law stands at present, IT'S NOT BEING AIRED IN THE UK. To charge anyone for it requires a change to the law.

The real question is should a person be charged for watching BBC content. How about the person that watches no TV only DVD's. Let's say they watch Life On Earth and they have got the copy from a friend or a library. Should the BBC then be able to charge them. The way the BBC have been allowed to get this money is crazy. They should be very quiet, for the above scenario shows how farcical the whole set up really is


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[gmb45]

thing is a lot of the bbc license fee is being wasted on the big wages the bosses get, and the so called stars like jonathan woss.

[Lyrrad]

thing is a lot of the bbc license fee is being wasted on the big wages the bosses get, and the so called stars like jonathan woss.

Yes, it's just a joke. If I wanted to walk into Harrods to shop, I would know that somewhere in their prices they had factored in that they have flocked wallpaper and gold plated toilet seats for their customers. That's why I choose, like 99% of the population, to shop elsewhere.

However with the BBC, we are forced to pay, and yet have no control on how our money is spent. And of course they spend it like it wasn't theirs.

To quote:

What is a TV Licence needed for?

• To use any TV equipment to watch or record any TV programmes as they are being shown on television.
• This includes watching or recording streamed services and satellite TV broadcast from outside the UK. If you only watch on-demand services, then you don't need a licence.