QOTW: Do you pay the TV licence fee?

[nacasatu]

Am Irish, don't pay the license for Irish TV, refuse too, will never pay it, I'd rather take the conviction and spend the night in jail if it ever came to it, not a chance in hell I'll pay for something that I never even watch or listen too.

[EvilCycle]

I pay it because I have to for my virgin media package, but I don't feel I get personal good value from it at all, it just feels like something I have to pay so that the wife can watch coronation street and I am not harassed and prosecuted for it. I barely even watch TV, and if I do, on goes Netflix.

[AC81]

I think it's good value.
But, i don't think it should be compulsary to watch live TV.

It should be/become a subscription based service. If you want the BBC, you pay for it. If you don't pay for it, you don't get BBC.
No TV licence shouldn't stop you watching channel 4 or ITV live.

It wouldn't be a big loss at the moment, half of thier shows end up on Dave or Netfix anyway. Box sets of shows can be bought as one off items. And recently when the BBC does have successful shows, they don't always take them on anyway. Ripper street going to Amazon, and the Last kingdom becoming a Netflix exclusive. It's odd that proven shows don't get that backing.
If i could watch live TV without a TV license, and just not have BBC. I would do that.

[The Hand]

You should be able to choose the channels even programmes you want and I would agree the tv license is a good deal, in other words it needs to modernise and have a month commitment option too.

[Wozza63]

The value proposition is in my opinion irrelevant. It's the way it's administered that is the problem. If BBC were a £12 a month standalone subscription, I'd probably say that's not terrible value, though not as good as Netflix. However, the gatekeeping of content from other providers who don't receive a penny of that payment is the problem I have. It's like requiring a Netflix subscription to be able to get a Prime Video subscription or Google asking for a tenner on top of your Spotify membership. It's just absurd and I will not watch live TV in my house until it changes.

IF, the BBC cut its price in half as well as all "entertainment" programs I'd consider it. Cut it to the bare minimum: news, education, kids and local radio and also being a stepping stone for people new to the industry rather than the big names. But I'm not paying for BBC to broadcast the Olympics or World Cup and the salary of Gary Lineker.

[Pouchey2]

No. I have enough content elsewhere to keep me going without the need for the BBC.

[Tomsk]

I think A lot of people confuse what you pay for with the TV Licence' it's a Licence on the receiving device. So you need a licence to watch or record any live TV programme, on any channel. It applies to any provider you use, including BBC iPlayer, ITV Player ITV Hub, All 4, Sky Go, Virgin Media, BT TV, Apple TV, Now TV, YouTube, Roku and Amazon Prime Video.

[will19565]

why should I fund the BBC's political rubbish.

For the same reason many people fund all sorts of services they'll never use through taxation - it's how most services are funded.

you need defense, law enforcement, Roads, schools, hospitals and (begrudgingly) governments etc.
you DO NOT need the BBC (or a foreign aid budget)

[peterb]

you need defense, law enforcement, Roads, schools, hospitals and (begrudgingly) governments etc.
you DO NOT need the BBC (or a foreign aid budget)

You don’t need schools if you don’t have children or hospitals (unless you are ill)

But by the same logic you don’t need a television either. If you object to the licence fee, get rid of your TVs and any other applicable equipment!

[aidanjt]

Nope, I don't watch broadcast TV, it's a depreciated media format.

[aidanjt]

You don’t need schools if you don’t have children or hospitals (unless you are ill)

But society does need schools and hospitals. Society wont come to a grinding halt if the Beeb ceases to exist.

[matts-uk]

I think A lot of people confuse what you pay for with the TV Licence' it's a Licence on the receiving device.

Yep and it's completely outmoded. Imagine paying a license fee to operate your mobile phone or WiFi. It's about time the Beeb raised it's own funds, like C4.

I pay the license fee but I resent it.

[Saracen999]

you need defense, law enforcement, Roads, schools, hospitals and (begrudgingly) governments etc.
you DO NOT need the BBC (or a foreign aid budget)

That would be better put as you (and no doubt lots of others) don't need the BBC. but a good chunk of society wouldn't agree. And that's why society provides many services, and funds them from general taxation.

It is, however, (and IMHO) getting towards the end of it's lifespan. Time is approaching when it'll go.

[mojothejester]

I have to pay it, as I use BBC iplayer. Even though I only watch it about 2 hours a month. Might just uninstall it and save my £154

[will19565]

you need defense, law enforcement, Roads, schools, hospitals and (begrudgingly) governments etc.
you DO NOT need the BBC (or a foreign aid budget)

That would be better put as you (and no doubt lots of others) don't need the BBC. but a good chunk of society wouldn't agree. And that's why society provides many services, and funds them from general taxation.

It is, however, (and IMHO) getting towards the end of it's lifespan. Time is approaching when it'll go.

what i meant was that you need what i listed absolutely for the efficient running of the country.
if the BBC was wiped from existence tomorrow, society would grind to a halt

[Hoonigan]

As soon as they decided to add adverts into the iPlayer, we decided to end our TV Licence. I'll find my content elsewhere. I am absolutely not going to pay £150 a year to have to choose to skip adverts for shows I don't want to watch.

An advert is an advert. It doesn't matter if it's for Doctor Who or Stella Artois. It's an advert. And I will not pay the BBC for the privilege.

Also, their ridiculous method of charging 2x monthly payments for the first 6 months of any direct debit charge is utterly ludicrous. Who on Earth thought that was the best method? And why?

To be honest, I hope the whole system the BBC operates spirals into a nothing so we can get rid of it. It's a stupid system and I won't care to see the back of it.