Will you keep your TV licence ?

We have a licence.
I think it’s overly priced, but then they have to pay out all those huge sums to people like Gary Lineker.
We try to pay ours in a lump sum, but I was relieved to find that there is no extra cost for paying it monthly, unlike the extra £5 a year if I wanted to pay quarterly.

Yes

No. Got rid of ours years ago.
Don’t watch live, or recorded tv.
Just pay for Netflix & watch DVDs on a weekend.

Yes, I will keep it. I would happily pay double/treble to keep the BBC and the local/national/global services it provides.

argymargy

Yes, I will keep it. I would happily pay double/treble to keep the BBC and the local/national/global services it provides.

Maybe that's the answer, pay what it's worth to you. You can pay treble the current cost and I'll pay £20, everyone's happy!

Should add DH doesn't mind paying the full licence fee.

I don’t require a tv licence anymore.
I don’t watch territorial tv. I watch YouTube, Prime and catch up (occasionally) but not iPlayer. All legal without purchasing a tv licence. Which I’ve done for apx 3 years.
I don’t feel I’m missing much

Yes I ll continue paying my licence It stopped being free the year I should have started my freeby 😳
I can’t feel happy with myself cheating and can’t justify Netflix prime or virgin etc just for one person so that’s how it is
I pay each September and get it off my back

These TV Licence discussions come up almost weekly and we write the same arguments.

The cost even with the small increase coming will be less than 50p a day - 50p a day to be able to switch on the radio, TV or some other receiving device 24/7 and be informed or entertained by whichever live TV channel you prefer.

Same as standing charges for electricity, gas and water. Martin Lewis campaigns for abolishing standing charges on energy which he says are a poll tax and he’s right. But the argument against abolition is that the cost per unit would have to rise.

If the argument is about BBC funding then the only answer is that it too becomes a commercial channel where for every 60 minute syou will see or hear 40 minutes of content and 20 minutes of adverts - which I wouldn’t want to see or hear. Listen to Classic FM or and hour of live ITV3 or Channel 4 and see how annoying that soon becomes.

Standard Netflix currently costs £156 a year for the standard ad-free package. They usually announce a price increase in February. Last year they added £2 per month which if they do the same this year would put it at £180, for just one streaming channel with limited content - same as what the licence fee will rise to.

We will keep ours, the rise is tiny. I watch BBC iPlayer all the time, there are numerous series, documentaries and music programmes that I watch completely free of advertisements. I recently rewatched War And Peace and Sense And Sensibility and am currently watching Silent Witness, there are 29 series of that available. I like to watch Politics Live every day and if I am out at midday I can watch it later in the day.

If the argument is about BBC funding then the only answer is that it too becomes a commercial channel where for every 60 minute syou will see or hear 40 minutes of content and 20 minutes of adverts - which I wouldn’t want to see or hear. Listen to Classic FM or and hour of live ITV3 or Channel 4 and see how annoying that soon becomes.

Actually that's not the only answer. The BBC could be funded straight from government, it doesn't have to resort to advertisement funding. You are aware that people do indeed watch the channels that are supported by advertising revenue, so annoying as it may be people are prepared to put up with it?

Thank you for all your points of view. Some in favour of keeping, some against. I was a bit alarmed some suggested they would see it as cheating, getting something for nothing. I must make clear that was not what I meant, I didn't mean stop paying the fee but still keep watching. I meant either watch and pay or don't pay and don't watch.
For my own part, yes 50p a day to watch all kinds of things sounds good but like someone else says if you don't watch 'Much' Tv then you're paying for something you don't use. My own choice would be pay to view , so if a new series was coming on I could pay for the month and then dip out again. I genuinely don't mind paying for what I use.
The other thing that irks me is the HUGE wage the BBC pays out to it's 'Stars' ..Claudia Winkleman for example.I would prefer that more money was spent on new and interesting programmes than massive wages, but I know the argument would be that thy have to get 'Stars' to keep people watching.

Rocketop my post saying I wouldn’t cheat was not aimed at you but Nana8 s suggestion of getting a VPN !

We’ll be keeping ours, it’s good value.

Yes, for radio, and iplayer, and we watch quite a few documentaries etc. on BBC2 or 4. I also like the World Service when sleepless during the small hours.

IMO it’s worth it just for the odd gem such as The Detectorists, but I do find most drama on all channels disappointing now, or too convoluted to follow easily.

DH has been wanting me to ditch it for ages.
But I cant see him keeping to the rules[whatever they are] if we do, so no, it will stay.

^ A TV licence is required in the UK if you watch or record live TV on any channel (e.g., BBC, ITV, Sky, Channel 4) or use BBC iPlayer, regardless of the device (TV, laptop, phone, console ). It costs £174.50 for a standard colour licence. You do not need one if you only watch on-demand non-BBC content^
Does this not answer your question nanna8 ?

Not if the BBC keep cutting off the curling at the last 2 exciting ends!

BlueBelle

Rocketop my post saying I wouldn’t cheat was not aimed at you but Nana8 s suggestion of getting a VPN !

It's fine, I was glad you said it because I would be horrified if people thought I was saying I was going to not pay and still watch ! It was a good reminder to clarify what I meant !

Yes, definitely.

Don't watch BBC thinking of refusing to pay We are made to pay because they don't have adverts isn't it well put some adverts on then

Whitewavemark2

We will keep ours. I value a national broadcaster. Not a single other station has given the quality over the years that the BBC has done.

Totally agree, and - sigh - I wish I had to stop reminding people that if we didn't pay the licence who/how would fund the part of the licence that provides at platform for all TV that goes out. we'd have to pay bit by bit and goodness knows how it would all be worked out and the admin cost of providing complex "bundles: of funding for each and every watching station.

Take your choice

(yes, its an AI google but reliable in this general statement)

Household Levy/Council Tax Model: A fee attached to council tax bills, which could be adjusted based on property band (making it more progressive than a flat fee).
Subscription Model (Subscription/Commercial Hybrid): The BBC could operate like a streaming service (e.g., Netflix), where users pay a fee to access premium content, while basic services (news, local radio) might remain free. This would end the "universal" access model.

Advertising: The BBC could introduce advertisements on its linear channels and BBC iPlayer, similar to ITV or Channel 4, allowing viewers to watch for free while the service is funded by ad revenue.

General Taxation: Funding the BBC directly from central government tax revenue (similar to the NHS). However, this has been largely ruled out by current government ministers due to fears it would compromise the BBC's impartiality and independence.

Means-Tested Model: The fee could be removed for some, but retained as a, lower cost for others, potentiallyMeans-tested for lower-income households

I've heard of a VPL, but what's a VPN? 🤔

Yes, we are happy to pay for a TV licence, we've either got the TV or radio on for most of the day, evening and through the night.

I'm not paying it to the treacherous bbc