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PC licence fees for the UK.
Source: Computeractive magazine, issue 185Computer users could find themselves paying double for their annual TV licence fee under current Government proposals.
This is the plan put forward by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in a recently published green paper on the review of the BBC's royal charter. The proposals include not only retaining the licence fee but extending it to those who watch TV programmes via a broadband connection.
The DCMS concluded this would make it easier to collect licence fees, which are only based on television ownership at the moment. It claimed large numbers of people are downloading BBC media over the internet, making it increasingly difficult to enforce the licence fee. In effect, the change could see people paying twice, with a fee for a PC as well as their TV.
The paper says: "The means of collecting the fee may have to be changed, so that it became, for example, either a compulsory levy on all households or on ownership of PCs as well as TVs."
The Government says it has no plans as to how the licence fee will be collected from PC owners, saying the proposals refer to when the BBC's charter is renewed in 2016. "By that time," a representative of the Department told us, "it might be necessary to look at extending the licence fee to computers."
What a load of rubbish. I HATE watching the BBC, never anything decent on, let alone download BBC content to the PC. I dont think anyone downloads BBC content, just an excuse to rip people off.
TV License fees are increasing every year, now we have to put up with this shit.
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A complete load of crap!!
I get annoyed at having to pay for UKTV Gold, when I have already paid for the privelige to watch most of the output via my TV licence.
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Member
- Oct 2004
- North Yorkshire, England
The BBC get enough money from the TV licences, now they want cash for watching their stuff on the PC, this is stupid. The BBC shows crap stuff and the only last excellent programme I saw of theirs was Monkey Dust, why would anyone want to download their stuff.
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Just curious ... Am I reading this right ... In England, everyone who owns a TV is forced to pay fee to support the BBC? Is that right?
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If you own a TV or Radio you pay a license fee per property.Originally Posted by rkr1958
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I wouldn't panic as I rather think that this proposal would fall at the first hurdle as there is no direct link with television viewers and PC users; if there is, I don't know where to find all this BBC (or even ITV) programme content to download. I can only see this referring to PC TV cards as the fee is paid to have a licence to own a television (or radio) reciever.
You can however listen anytime to BBC Radio content from the radio stations last week's output. There is some good comedy and drama programmes to be found on the BBC 7 site.
This is a bit like the proposal a few years ago that said that it would be made illegal to keep a VHS off air recording for more than 15 days - who remembers that stoopid idea? Dumped almost straight away as unenforcable.
However, just to offer an alternative viewpoint to what has been said already:
I HATE watching the BBC, never anything decent onObviously this is all down to personal taste.The BBC shows crap stuff
I actually find alot of BBC content rather enjoyable as it offers up alot of stuff that just wouldn't get made on commerical television. Although they have been criticised for dumbing down which is something that the recent renewal of its royal charter is hopefully going to do something about. So at last something is being done about these constant reality shows ala Big Brother (thanks a bunch Channel - once great now tat - 4) and home makeovers.
I don't particularly like paying the licence fee (but who does) but I also don't like watching programmes or films that get carved up every ten to fifteen minutes by a break with advertising that is increasingly running out of ideas of how to make you notice them.
There is the argument that with commercial television it is the advertisers that command the viewing output - something I believe the US readers of this thread know all too well.
ITV recently admitted, for example, that it gears its programming output towards Women as this is what the advertisers want. A good example of this is The Bill, which once was a solid Police crime show now reduced to a poor soap, less concerned about crime more concerned about who is having is off and with whom.
Under the same banner, there was a little bit of cynism by ITV recently where they introduced an extra commercial break per hour in their peak time viewing which shaved off about five minutes from each programme: what is advertised as an hour in most cases only runs for about 45 minutes now.
There is also the argument that ITV (i.e. commercial television) is NOT as free as we think as if you buy anything that is advertised on ITV, Channel 4 etc, the cost of that adveritising is passed onto the consumer. If you don't have a telly, you don't pay the licence fee, but you still pay for ITV (or starve
).
Good point; however, I refuse to have Sky or Cable, as I will not pay through the nose for subscription television and STILL have to have my entertainment carved up by commerical breaks. Then be made to pay extra for certain films or sporting events.I get annoyed at having to pay for UKTV Gold, when I have already paid for the privelige to watch most of the output via my TV licence.
I have grown up with commerical free television (during the programmes at least, the BBC does advertise its own stuff between programmes) and I have to admit I would hate to see this go.
And lastly, BBC output that I have liked in the last year:
The Long Firm, Auf Weidersien Pet, Spooks, Sea of Souls, Waking the Dead, Conviction, Little Britain, Two Pints... to name but a few.
Wonderful typical ITV ouput:
Footballers' Wives
Cole -
Actually, if you read the terms and conditions for the current TV Licence we pay for, it does include watching TV on a pc and states this clearly.Originally Posted by Cole
I also remember when i forgot to renew my TV Licence, i was sent a letter of renewal, which clearly stated the inclusion of watching TV on a PC, so i dont see the reason for BBC doing this.
Also, i would prefer watching adverts than to pay for a TV Licence. -
UK Television running costs:
Cost of TV License = £110.00 pa
Cable TV (Sky Basic) = £19.50 pm or £234 pa
Cable TV (Sky Premium) £39 pm or £468
So the cost is anything from £110 (min) to £344 or a whopping £578 per annum. This is way too expensive.
Motto: Get rid of the idiot box.
p/s If I have a TV but only wish to watch DVD's, can I skip paying TV fees? Unlikely probably.*** My computer can beat me at chess, but is no match when it comes to kick-boxing. *** -
Correction:Originally Posted by pbhalerao
Cost of TV Licence = £115.00 pa
You are forgeting that the cost of TV Licence INCREASES every year. This year, its gone up an additional £5. -
I you remove the TV Aerial from your roof and anthing else that can be used to recieve a signal, then yes, you can avoid paying for a TV Licence as long as you can prove you do not recieve broadcast signals.Originally Posted by pbhalerao
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As I said, this must refer to using a PC TV card and if I read the original post correctly it is not the BBC doing this it is the Government's "Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)".Originally Posted by waheed
That is your choice. Commercial drama is presented in such a way to have advert breaks inserted comfortably - fair enough, but on many occasion the breaks in films are crudely hacked in.Also, i would prefer watching adverts than to pay for a TV Licence.Cole -
Not a chance of it really happening. What about all the PCs that are in existance now?
A better idea would be for the BBC to set up a pay per view download service, which should be free for people in the UK as we have already paid for the content. I do know there is a problem with that as a lot of content is outsourced so the BBC probably won;t be able to offer everthing that is shown on terestial tv
As for the liecence fee, yep its unfair, but every attempt to reform it cannot come up with a better funding mechanism. personally I think the BBC is pretty good. For just over 100 quid you get a lot of programming and radio stations. Don;t forget the BBC are pioneers in R & D as well.
For people that say scrap the fee and let the BBC advertise, well you just know what will happen to the state of the programs. Wall to wall soaps and reality tv. Plus, you DO pay for independent TV, you pay whenever you buy a product!
Just my bit, and no I don;t work for the BBC, just a massaive Dr Who fan! -
Totally with you on that Ironballs.Originally Posted by Ironballs
...Can't wait for the 26th
Cole -
any item capable of recieving a terrestrial signal,any item with a tuner capable of recieving a terrestrial signal,any pc or other with tv capable input(tv card,video capture card),any item with a screen over 3" capable of recieving a terrestrial signal.
thats pretty much it in a nutshell.
even if you just owned the tv,and a dvd player,because the tv is capable of the signal,then ya gotta pay.
the funny thing is,ive heard a few people who buy tvs out of the likes of asda,when asked to give there details so they can pass them on to the tv licensing dept,name-mr smith,and an obviously fake address,just to avoud it.
".Can't wait for the 26th "
you just have to let me know what you think about it when it airs though.LifeStudies 1.01 - The Angle Of The Dangle Is Indirectly Proportionate To The Heat Of The Beat,Provided The Mass Of The Ass Is Constant. -
Major Fact "under current Government proposals. " GOVERNMENT! The bbc already makes its past weeks output available for download, somewhere, ( I havent found it yet!) IMO its good value for money More stuff like shooting the past (stephen poliakoff) when the DVD??. I watch ITV only for F1 .
independent research into video-codecs too..
also 2016 .. the supervolcano will have erupted by then.
An early jokette??
Corned beef is now made to a higher standard than at any time in history.
The electronic components of the power part adopted a lot of Rubycons. -
RabidDog, Supervolcano was an excellent prog. A little light on the science, but showed the Horizon team how to present science to the public IMO.
Can you imagine this being produced by ITV?
Maybe C4 under the Equinox series, but ITV, no smegging way. -
total BS
dont watch terrestrial (or freeview) personally
rest of the family do but i wouldnt bother having tvs in the house as the only thing i actually want to watch is have i got news for you
+possibly they think its all over
+ teachers but usually miss lots of the episodes and buy the dvd when it comes out instead
didnt have tv while i was at uni didnt miss it in the slightest
the current price is a rip off as it only covers the bbc programs
itv and C4 support themselves with adverts
downloads of british tv doesnt hurt the bbc in the slightest 95% of the downloads by domestic residents will have tv licenses
and if you look on british download sites such as cough*uknova*cough total downloads are usually less than 1000 more often around the 100 mark
i heard a while back that the bbc was going to start letting people download programs off them
.......
any news on this? -
I feel for you guys. Stationed in UK 1983 to 1989, RAF Alconbury, Huntington, Cambridgshire, England. After watching TV (Basic) for free in the US found it hard to understand, but I was a guest in your country. Was always afraid one of those mobile trucks would catch me without a license. Anyway, computer fee is just too much! You guys need to fight that crap. The Yanks will stand with you!
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As has been stated twice now on this thread, this is a myth. Commerical television is NOT free. The cost of advertising is passed onto the consumer and that is us, so if you have a television or not, you are still contributing to commercial television whenever you buy anything that is adverised on it.Originally Posted by hhhhbk
Increasingly on commerical television the advertisers (as has been for a long time in the US) are becomming King. What the advertisers say goes. I can't recall the name of the television series, but there was an ITV drama set on a Navy ship recently where because ITV were not getting the viewers that the advertisers wanted, pulled the show halfway through its run leaving unbroadcast episodes.
I think that the bottom line on this is that the BBC is reviled largely becasue people feel that they are being taxed to own a TV. It does make quality programmes, but the idea of the Licence Fee does prejudice. Sure, nobody likes paying it (or paying for anything really) but it only works out to about £2.20 a week.
My fear that if the BBC is forced to go to commerical is that the quality of TV will be downed even further than it is now; not through lack of ideas, but purely because the Advertisers will be in control. The BBC being a public service broadcaster would be lost as it would come under market forces just as commerical television is now.
Look at ITV's staple drama output at the moment: Bad Girls, Fat Friends, Footballers' Wives, Life Begins, Emmerdale, Coronation Street... It isn't hard to see a pattern that the majority of the output is aimed at Women - because that is where the advertisers want to aim at. I have said ealier that this is something that ITV have admitted.
BTW - two years ago ITV and Channel 4 also announced that they would be making MORE reality shows because they are cheaper (profiteering for the shareholders?). At that time advertising revenue was in a sharp decline...
My personal issue with the BBC is that it is overstaffed and tries to do too much! Does anyone you know listed to BBC local radio for example?
I imagine that being on Ministry of Defence property, that was taken care of.Stationed in UK 1983 to 1989, RAF Alconbury, Huntington, Cambridgshire, England. After watching TV (Basic) for free in the US found it hard to understand, but I was a guest in your country.
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This is going to be one of those things that if we do have the BBC go over to the commerical sector, we will mourn its passing in time as we only really appreciate something when its gone.
However, I agree that to tax PC owners is wrong. I don't believe that this is enforceable anyway. How many of us make our own Televisions!
Cole -
wait u have to pay to use ur tv? and £115?!!!! that's more then it costs for car registration in Australia!!! isn't the point of commercial tv to have the "commercials" pays for the service?Originally Posted by waheed
does anyone actually pay this? how can they track ya? -
Everyone who lives in the UK and owns a TV pays for a TV Licence. Yes, it is expensive.Originally Posted by Gillies
Channels like ITV, Channel 4 and 5 put on commercials so make their money that way. However, the BBC do not show commercials and thus make their money through the TV Licence fees.
They have vans with sophisticated monitoring equipment that can tracked you down if you're receiving a broadcast signal. Get caught watching TV without a licence, you could be fined upto £1000. -
Indeed, so why do we have to pay for SKY?Originally Posted by GilliesCole
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bbc with adverts wouldnt bother me or the majority of the uk in the slightest if it meant that we didnt have to pay the £115 a year
sky is costly but adverts alone cant cover the cost of sporting events or the movies
yes they make a fair bit out of it £400 per year i think if your on full package
but atleast you are guaraunteed to have something worth watching on
if sky carry bbc channels then they should stop as it would let people get out of giving the bbc £115 a year on top of the sky costs
if you cant pick up bbc channels surely they couldnt expect a license fee -
i think you brits are lucky. the bbc has no ads, show some great programs and are known all around the world.
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bbc made some great programs
sadly all in the past and are now finished
only fools and horses
red dwarf
the office
fawlty towers
black adder
Men Behaving Badly
Dads Army
hopefully theres a 5th season in coupling to come -
It is either subscription and no advertising or advertising and free, otherwise that just isn't fair.Originally Posted by hhhhbk
But then, this is purely about profit - making money. Commerical television and SKY are bog standard businesses who want to make as much profit as possible.
I would beg to differ. It's drama output is almost exclusivley imported and everything else is repeats from old stuff. If you want to watch first run films or certain Sporting events, I understand that you have to pay again on top of your subscription! As I said it is all about making profit.Originally Posted by hhhhbk
The BBC doesn't have to run like that and that is what makes it unique. If there can be an alternative way to fund the BBC then so be it, but please not advertising...
hhhhbk, I think that we should just agree to differ on this. I would rather have commerical free television and an opening to more creativity than output dictated to by outside business interest.
This Brit knows thatOriginally Posted by boss
The BBC still does make great programmes; my list of programmes, in one of my posts above, within the last year for example. The very dark The Long Firm stands out very much.
But there are other more mainstream sucesses like Spooks, Hustle and Waking the Dead which are returning this year. I haven't watched my tape of last weekend's Casanova yet, but I don't believe that it will disappoint
Oh yes, and the return next Saturday of a certain Time Lord
Cole -
Gillies
Basically, the BBC assumes every house has a TV set and therfore every house will be issused with a demand for a licience.how can they track ya?
A work colleague doesn't have a TV and is constantly getting demands to pay.
Cole made a good point in than its about £2.00 per week for the licence. It's not even the cost of a pint.
Compare to SKY, £40.00 per month + you pay for adverts via the cost of good + for special events you also have to pay. I once read that Murdoch's brilliant strategy was realising that TV was just too cheap in the UK.
For those that say there's nothing worth watching on the BBC, again compare to SKY. Several shopping channels, Several Holiday channels, Sports channels and don't forget the fishing channel. The entertainment channels are all imports and these are repeated as well. Take Sky One and its endless repeat of Star Trek! (Which fortunatly I like)
Plus, the BBC has the return of a certain Galyfrean, or has that been mentioned.
Cole, seen the layout of the new TARDIS in the Beebs ads? It looks awesome. I'm a dribbling wreck. -
Indeed I have. The long trailer left me speechless (and a little choked up - at my age tooOriginally Posted by ironballs
).
It honestly seems that this Doctor Who is going to be fantastic. Next Saturday can't come soon enough.
Cole -
currently dont have sky and never plan on getting it
when i move i wont have even bother having a tv
if there is any sport on i watch it at a pub
unlimited 3 at a time dvd rental online from blockbuster or sainsburys at £14 a month will keep me more than entertained think you can get it even cheaper if you sign up for 6 months or a year
6 for the price of 5 or 12 for the price of 9
so will work out marginally more than tv license
but will give approx 9 hours worth watching to me at my convenience
as opposed to tvs 1 hour max of stuff id actually watch if i didnt miss it through it being on at an inconvenient time (plus a lot of timewasting tat)
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