Cancelling TV licence

We watch a lot of programmes on the BBC. Really good dramas like Sherwood and Line of Duty.
University Challenge to admire the quick responses and breadth of knowledge of our students.
Radio 3 for non pop music.
Radio 4 for no music radio
Lots of politics on BBC1
Really good history on BBC4

We do have Amazon and watch some things on there, but mainly use it for the free delivery.

Blimey! Forgot to mention Wolf Hall!

I do object to such as Lineker and other "stars" being paid ludicrous amounts. I am disgusted about the way they seemed to support Edwards and others, even after an arrest, now begging for our 200, 000 pay back, they'll be lucky.
On the other hand at £3.31 per week, most of the things we can access through the licence still give good value for money.
Although I do think other countries, worlwide, that can access the BBC should pay something towards it.

My 24 year old daughter wouldn’t dream of getting a TV licence and that’s the majority view in the younger generations. It can only be a matter of time before the current model is changed. It made sense when the BBC was formed and for many decades thereafter but it doesn’t now.
Unfortunately I can’t cancel my licence until my Virgin contract ends but I never use Virgin now anyway. The money I save will be spent on more streaming services which provide varied and excellent content. Currently rewatching Game of Thrones and loads more series lined-up.
I gave up watching live news years ago - you can get it all online now and not have to be subjected to presenters who held the trust of the nation and abused their position.
Plenty of BBC dramas are available via streaming services and catch-up on ITV, C4 and C5 is very good.
I think the debate is whether the BBC still has any relevance and sadly IMHO it doesn’t. We don’t have to sit through ads either which is one of the reasons I liked the BBC.

We're happy to keep our licence and don't have any streaming apart from occasional months with Apple TV for Slow Horses. We do listen to Radio 3 and Radio 4 and watch things on iPlayer, and think we get good value.

I knew someone, some years ago, who phoned up to change the TV licence to her name after her husband died. Fortunately it didn't take her long to see the funny side when she was told that she would need her husband's signature to make the change, but it could have been very distressing.

Gin

I think the licence is very good value to receive such varied in depth programmes. The BBC in the main offers far more variety and excellent standards of production than other providers in my opinion and no adds! We do subscribe to only one on demand provider. There are so many these days and it is so expensive to subscribe to them all and much of the content would have little appeal to me. We rarely watch the one we have as we always find something of interest.

Also what would we do without BBC New? OH has to have to have access to that!

LaCrepe, I am interested as to why you hold the Beeb responsible for Huw Edwards despicable actions?

Exactly.

I wouldn't be without the BBC and I am happy to pay the TV License. Even if it is a bit expensive. I watch and listen to the Beeb more than any other network.

I would ditch all the other streaming solutions before dropping the Beeb. I rotate subscribing to the the streaming channels.

Well I ve just bought mine for another year I do like my TV in the evenings and would be lonely without it
I don’t use Netflix or others although I share my daughters account so could, but I still like mainstream TV best so will pay for it, as I always have, my conscious wouldn’t allow me to do otherwise

Mine expired when I was 75 and I have no intention of renewing it. I watch very little terrestrial TV - mostly just streamed services.

If the BBC didn't invest in new programming, the programmes wouldn't be there to be shown on streaming channels.

Anyone that feels threatened by letters or any other info.

Just you tube " how to cancel my tv licence" watch a few of the videos.

Do not be scared by intimidating letters. They are Salesmen/women.

I’m with you Twinnytwin

Watch maybe one or two BBC programmes per month or less so do not like being forced to pay them to watch anything else! Money goes to characters I have never watched! The one thing I would miss if BBC disappeared is Dr Who as I am old enough to have watched the first episode & everyone since! Nothing else is worth the license fee all going to BBC when they are never watched!

It's not purely a BBC issue. The real problem is the large number of on air UK channels and not enough high quality programmes to go on them all so we see a lot of repeats, bake offs, quizzes, selling and second rate American stuff. The same happened earlier in the USA where you can zap through endless channels with little worth watching. More choice does not equal higher quality.

pascal30

You can still get all the interesting programmes on Radio 4 without a licence..

And how is Radio 4 paid for? Through the TV licence, that's how!!! Give up on our great choice of BBC TV programmes if you want, but that doesn't mean you should get BBC radio free!!!

We haven't had a TV licence for years - not since our children left home, and we realised we were just using it to watch the 10.00 News, Wimbledon, and Midsomer Murders! We decided we could listen to the news, we were bored with most of Wimbledon once mostly only singles matches were broadcast, and we could buy MM on DVD to watch at our own convenience! (This was all pre-streaming!) Then, once we were 75, we would consider getting a freebie licence, but that was discontinued the year before we were eligible!!
Maybe we are unsupportive of the BBC, but we don't have the wherewithal to be philanthropic about this. I dislike the exorbitant amounts of money paid to some presenters and commentators which I feel is totally unnecessary.
I have found if there has been a problem with not having a licence, phoning up has been much easier to get it sorted out. Everyone on the other end of my phone call has been very courteous, and pleasant to speak to. I don't know if I am allowed to post the number here, but it can be found on the TV licensing website.

A quick word of warning, though. If you have no licence at home, but have a BBC account and use iPlayer whilst staying in a property which does have a licence, you are likely to get a letter saying that you have used iPlayer at your home and you need a licence. Apparently, iPlayer can't tell you are not at home!! When I phoned up to query the letter I received, a very helpful person told me that if this happened again, all I needed to do was to phone and explain.

£3.58 a week - about the price of a cup of coffee. Worth it in my opinion.

I think the tv licence should be renamed. It actually pays for the BBC so all the radio programmes that I certainly enjoy.

Lemontart

pascal30

You can still get all the interesting programmes on Radio 4 without a licence..

And how is Radio 4 paid for? Through the TV licence, that's how!!! Give up on our great choice of BBC TV programmes if you want, but that doesn't mean you should get BBC radio free!!!

This.

I wouldn’t cancel my license because of the service the BBC provides. It was a godsend during my children’s exam times with BBC Bitesize, the BBC World Service is excellent and still managed to provide the only news service to Gaza during the blackout by launching an emergency radio service. The BBC isn’t just about watching the TV, it’s much more.

Happy to pay the licence.

I do pay for a TV licence but really strobgly object to the absurb salaries paid to G Linekar and Zoe Ball - a trained monkey could probably do what they do, except give out as much waffle!! - No, I do not watch either and do know where the off switch is, but there is always plenty to read about them!

Until 1971 there was a separate license for listening to the radio, presumably because fewer people had TVs.
Maybe it should be brought back just to listen to the radio. Although, with WiFi it would be difficult to trace the listeners.

Fae1

£3.58 a week - about the price of a cup of coffee. Worth it in my opinion.

Exactly I would be happy to pay for that just for the radio,I have the radio on most of the day when I’m at home radio 4 and BBC sounds and many podcasts. I do watch BBC TV a lot too . Nothing beats their wildlife programmes although I know they are shown elsewhere. I do think that the people who can access BBC abroad should pay a fee too . I do object to the huge salaries being paid to people who are just public servants .

My biggest objection to paying for the BBC is the fact that there are so many repeats!

Pay mine quarterly by direct debit. Forget about it till I see it on bank statement. My daughter and son in law have never had one, think sil did it online. He thinks it's hilarious that I still pay since no "young" folk pay it. They if they watch TV watch streaming services. He says they've never contacted him.