No More Tv Licence For Me.....and For You.

Practically all I watch these days are documentaries, and even then it's often on iPlayer as they may be on while I am away or working. Over the years the BBC has also outsourced more in-house production to outside companies, I am sure that meant large cost savings, as outsourcing always does!

So much TV in general these days is just so trashy, absurd and manipulative anyway. I often scan the TV guide looking at some of the write-ups describing the programmes and cannot believe so much of it gets aired, let alone has money spent on producing it. There is then the institutional corruption and bias within the BBC that has been in place for decades, not to mention the scandals in recent times covering up the shenanigans of big name stars!
I also seem to remember an episode in recent times where several hundred staff were laid off, with big payouts, then many rehired as "contractors" doing the same jobs. Nice work if you can get it and taxpayer funded too!

Yes, there are still some good programmes being made, but again, not necessarily by the BBC themselves but rather by outsourced production companies. Surely then the time is right to scrap the BBC and let the production companies sell to other entities?

As for enforcement, I did once have one of their license enforcers knock at the door. I'd just moved into the apartment the previous day and yes, I did have a license, as I told him his records would show. He then got all puffed up as I refused to go digging through boxes right there and then to produce it and demanded entry to look for a TV. Needless to say he was told in no uncertain terms to take a hike and if he came back with a similar attitude and spoke to me like that again, I'd kick his arse to the other end of the street. Threats of returning with police officers never materialized.

I agree you shouldn't have to pay the TV license if you don't want to watch the BBC or Live TV but dont think you should then be allowed to watch catch up/on demand either. You haven't payed for that content live or not.

For me personally I enjoy watching sport so the TV licence is juts a fee I have to pay, not paying your TV licence then illegally streaming content from the Internet makes you no better than any other criminal

I received one of those new super gizmo Samsung TV's as a (unwanted but grateful) gift and haven't watched a live broadcast in nearly 10 years, so don't pay the licence and have informed the BBC. This particular model has specs that would make you think it's a laptop without knowing it's a TV.

I'm one of those nerds that reads ALL the T&C's before pressing accept. When i booted this TV up i was confronted with not 1 but 5 sets of agreements, 1 of which was mandatory. I can't remember them all in detail but they sent a shiver down my spine. If i'd have a greed to them all, i would have given Samsung permission to:

1) TAKE CONTROL OF MY TV WITHOUT MY PERMISSION (supposedly for support)
2) RECORD (VIA THE INBUILT MIC) ANYTHING AT ANY TIME
3) RECORD MY VIEWING HABITS AND MANIPULATE SUGGESTED APPS
4) SHARE ANY OF THIS DATA AS THEY SEE FIT

Needless to say i deactivate the mic without delay and only agreed to the terms of the warranty.

Makes you think though: WHAT'S STOPPING THEM KNOWING THE MOMENT I DECIDE TO WATCH SOMETHING LIVE AND TELLING THE BBC??

Scary times my friends.

Yeah, fyi they can observe from anyplace not upon your property. All they need to prove you were watching TV live is compare the two simultaneous feeds...as it flashes sequentially for hours at a time, your window and the reference feed.

Regardless that you wish to believe otherwise, it is far from difficult to make the determination.


This TV tax is imply a throwback to an era where it wasn't possible to do paid authorizations. People paid to watch a movie and all of the preceding types of entertainment. It makes perfect sense in that regard, but it's a clumsy and unaccountable method to raise funding. Like was said before, it may be preferable to rampant capitalism controlling the content. Think of it as PBS on steroids.

a reply to: FlyingFox

You do relies that the people who do the job of TV licencing enforcement dont actually work for the BBC, the Police, or any other agency with the legal powers to perform surveillance on the British public?

There powers with regards to what they can actually do surveillance wise are questionable at best and the resources available to them are lets just say rather limited, so comparing two simultaneous feeds with the hope of establishing anything is beyond most lightly there capability.

Truth is they are nothing more than cowboys attempting extortion. Most of the time the law is not even on there side.

a reply to: Finners

Well I've spoke to the TV licencing team and asked many questions about catch up and they sed as long as it's been aired I am not a criminal my daughter aged 15 watches Netflix which I pay for and uses Internet for her homework an exams
I've already stated I don't watch TV so I'm offended u think I'm a criminal. You have a right to a opinion but not a unsupported one. I also pay 120 pound a year for Spotify as I only listen to music and think it's wrong to illegally download it so b4 u have a opinion make sure ur facts are right
I bid u good day
bubs an babs

a reply to: MongusePro

It is indeed but I've paid my license for years and not watched it just being brainwashed into thinking I got a tv I need a licence
well not no more my friend I also woke up and smelt the coffee...be gone with u powers that be...shoe lol
bubs and babs