QOTW: Do you pay the TV licence fee?

[Spud1]

Yes I do pay it, and yes I do believe it's very good value for money. So many people forget that the fee doesn't just pay for BBC1/2/4/radio - it also helps to part fund local TV channels and for content creation that is either syndicated or just plain broadcast on other, commercial channels. A good chunk of the content on netflix & prime is actually original BBC content and whilst netflix/amazon do pay for use of that content, it was originally made & created with licence fee money.

Would I like to see some reform and for it to be made optional/easier to track than the current system? Yes of course, but doing so would almost certainly necessitate an increase in cost which wouldn't be great, and i'm not really sure how they would do it...either way, I pay for a licence and don't regret it

[Irien]

I pay, and generally find BBC productions to be "a cut above", although I must admit that I find many of the BBC's behaviours/practises outside of its programmes to be at odds with its mandate. The bbc.co.uk website is full of clickbait headlines with little to no insight, for example, not to mention the general, but pervasive, political slant.

I feel quite strongly that content should remain on iPlayer more-or-less indefinitely given how the BBC is funded. If you have a TV licence, you co-funded the production, and should have access to the content. This new joint-venture with ITV for a "UK netflix" just seems like an opportunity to re-monetise what we've already funded. I suppose it isn't much different to them selling the DVDs, but we can keep those for posterity. The new service just seems like an excuse to reduce iplayer content and put it behind a paywall, rather than using iPlayer to expand customer choice and make it how we consume TV in the 21st century.

I suppose that's the thing - I see a future where iPlayer effectively replaces broadcast TV for most of us. The BBC don't.

[OilSheikh]

I don't pay anymore. Biased Pro-remain organization.
There are no decent shows either. No more Weakest link or Hustle or Voyager

[Spreadie]

Yes, I pay it and I do think it's worthwhile even though I hardly watch TV. Well, not broadcast - I usually pick what I want via some catchup method. The BBC funds, or partially funds some great television shows.

I spend more a year on lattes than the TV licence - it's very good value in my opinion.

People crying that BBC news is biased - if you say so, but I doubt there are many truly impartial news outlets and the beeb is far from overtly biased; especially in comparison to the alternatives. Seriously though, you can't watch the news and distil fact from rhetoric? How in hell's name have you survived this long? You want bias? Read the Express or Daily Fail.

[big_hairy_rob]

No. recently went cordless. the few programs i watched simply were not worth the ongoing costs. plus with new program's being for genres i simply wasn't interested in
It's high time thos stealth tax was abolished in favour of more modern choices...

[gagaga]

Well, for a start it's not advert free given the amount of time they spend promoting themselves.

What used to be a reliable new source is now a hugely biased fake news outfit, principally through ommission of news that tells the wrong story and through political soliloquis dressed up as 'human interest' stories placed front and centre amongst the headlines.

Privatise it by giving shares to those who've paid for the past 5 years, then make it advert funded. The state can fund local news etc through general taxation (a few 10s of million vs the £4000 million the BBC extorts each year).

Rancid organisation, truly beyond saving.

[Tech angle - iplayer: 2019 and still 720p + stereo sound. Wow. This organisation used to lead the world in innovation].

[Saracen999]

Agreed on the self-promoting adverts but at least they only occur between programs, not in the middle of them. And I don't much mind that. Adverts breaking up the story drive me nuts though, because it ruins my enjoyment. Which is why I record all such programs to HD, and edit out (with frame accurcy) adverts, before watching. It generally takes me about 3 minutes to delete the ads in a 1hr program, abd I usually do half a dozen at a time. It's a pain, but less so than having story flow wrecked by adverts .... usually with an ear-drum wrecking increase in volume too.

As for biassed reporting, bear in mind it's not a simple thing to assess. They aren't required, for instance, to be neutral within every program but neutral overall. On Brexit, they do come accross to me as firmly pro-Remain but then, I've seen people state they're biased in favour of Leave. Maybe it depends exactly what you watch.

[Euphonium]

I don't pay the licence fee. I haven't owned a TV since 1999 and I never got around to trying iPlayer. My exposure to the BBC podcasts from Radio4 and the occasional visit to the news page of the website

[will19565]

All that content - advert free - and aimed at all sectors of society; and all for less than the cost of a pint of beer a week? Absolutely good value for money!

For me, that.

Is there a better way?



Arguably (and no doubt someone will) .... yes. General taxation.

If you are being taxed you have an income. Fund BBC etc from that.

It will be far harder to evade, and while we'recat it, we can stop paying for all the enforcement action, wasted court time and, by the way, stop harrassing people that have made the perfectly legal decision to not watch anything that requires a licence.

And I agree with the suggestion earlier about requiring a licence number, and some form of pin/code, to access iPlayer.

why should I fund the BBC's political rubbish.

[Saracen999]

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.

[gagaga]

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.

Big difference: I can't walk into a private hospital and take services. A company won't build a road between A and B for the fun of it for people to use.

But there are numberous other, free TV stations that don't require a subscription, that provide news, documentaries and educational programming that are massively disadvantaged by the BBC competing directly against them.

[g8ina]

Less of the veiled sweary things please guys, even that word is in our sweary filter, so please dont try and evade by using ****

[jimborae]

Yes I pay the license fee and yes I think it's good value for money. Just wish their news coverage was better on both TV and online. Too little indepth coverage & investigation too much reporting & attention given to what idiots are saying on twatter & failbook.

[nar53]

Yep I pay for it but rarely watch it.

[jimborae]

Less of the veiled sweary things please guys, even that word is in our sweary filter, so please dont try and evade by using ****

Is that really a swear word in this day & age, rude in certain contexts maybe?? and considering what Hexus has covered in the past ..............

[Percy1983]

I seem to watch a few things on BBC, mostly dramas and documentaries. Likewise I don't mind the BBC adverts as they do point me to other things to watch and likewise they are never int he middle of anything I am watching.

I will say if you have children Cbeebies is a life saver, great programs and much short birthday/christmas lists due to no adverts.

So I don't mind paying it and to me its great but do see how it may annoy others.