UK TV Licence questions

[barnabas1969]

Just out of curiosity, I was reading about the TV Licence in the UK. I'm surprised at the high cost (145.50 GBP = 241.92 USD). That's more than 20 USD per month! But, one thing that I read said that the BBC broadcasts are free of commercial advertisements. Is that true? For all BBC channels?

[STC]

Yup. Really refreshing. Decent productions too.
The licence fee pays them instead of commercials.

[barnabas1969]

Wow. That might be worth $20/month.

[STC]

Yeah I think most are happy with the deal. You get 35-40% more programming too

/edit: There are still many channels that do have commercials, the licence fee is for the beeb.

[barnabas1969]

It irks me that I have to watch commercials on cable-only pay TV channels.

[asm495]

Issue is if you want to watch ANY TV you are required to get a licence even if you watch no BBC. BBC output is very variable too. The original intention of the BBC was to produce content for the benefit of the nation that wasn't commercially viable (e.g. Documentaries, political programmes, educational etc.).

Now however they spend vast amounts on entertainment programmes that would be commercially successful (e.g Strictly Come Dancing, Doctor Who) in competition with commercial organisations. They have a virtually monopoly on TV, radio and internet news as no one can compete with "free".

In my view the licence should be abolished and the BBC funded through general taxation. However their remit should be stripped back to the original intention - programmes that are useful for people but otherwise wouldn't be made due to not being enough financial return.

[STC]

Wow well there you go then

I haven't lived in the UK for many years so my grasp on current programming 'quality' is only through iPlayer.

[milli260876]

strip back the remit?
so no luthor or Sherlock??
SURELY NOT!!!!!!

[asm495]

strip back the remit?
so no luthor or Sherlock??
SURELY NOT!!!!!!

A commercial channel would have snapped them up. No reason they couldn't have been shown on other channels.

[holidayboy]

^ on the plus side of course.... no EastEnders either!

[milli260876]

^hahahaha
Good shout rob!

[mark1234]

It's £12/month and frankly I get £12 worth of value purely from the BBC News website, so it's the "tax" I object to least. Plus I only really watch BBC Four, so I am getting the quality programmes that asm495 mentions. I do agree that a lot of BBC One content is barely any better than low brow ITV1/2 tat - Strictly, Top Gear, Eastenders and that stupid programme with people bouncing on big red balls to cross a water obstacle course - can't remember what it's called.

(EDIT: * I meant "b a l l s", not beans. Thank you to the swear filter for banning a completely harmless word.)

Also, what parent hasn't at some stage got down and wept at the miracle that is Cbeebies?

I don't support it being funded through general taxation. At the moment, if you don't watch/record live broadcasts you don't have to pay the fee. If it becomes part of general taxation then you end up paying for it. It's either keep the licence fee or go fully commercial.

[mark1234]

For the benefit of barnabas1969, and anyone else from the colonies, this page gives a breakdown of how that £12/month is spent: http://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/inside ... icencefee/

It works out as £7.69 for TV (8 national TV channels - not counting HD variants and the red button service), £2.08 for radio (9 national channels plus an absolute heap of local stations), 55p for the online stuff and £1.82 for "other" which includes money the government has syphoned off for other purposes. All of those channels, TV and radio, are commercial free - apart from adverts for the BBC itself, but they are only in between the programmes, not during them.

[asm495]

For the benefit of barnabas1969, and anyone else from the colonies, this page gives a breakdown of how that £12/month is spent: http://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/inside ... icencefee/

It works out as £7.69 for TV (8 national TV channels - not counting HD variants and the red button service), £2.08 for radio (9 national channels plus an absolute heap of local stations), 55p for the online stuff and £1.82 for "other" which includes money the government has syphoned off for other purposes. All of those channels, TV and radio, are commercial free - apart from adverts for the BBC itself, but they are only in between the programmes, not during them.

I don't object to paying money for TV. What I object to is having no choice that money I pay is used for funding Eastenders, Strictly and various other rubbish. On BBC I only generally ever watch BBC 2 (mainly Top Gear) and BBC 4 (documentaries). As much as I enjoy Radio 4 and Radio 5 they can (and are) done equally well using commerical broadcasters. Similarly I think CBeebies is great.

I would cut the BBC back to just these channels: BBC 4, CBeebies and some other new educational programmes. Anything classed as "entertainment" they should not be covering. I am slightly on-the-fence over sports as it encourages kids to keep active. If I want entertainment programmes then they should either be funded through advertising or through a subscription that I choose to opt-in to.

I suppose I just believe in good, old fashioned competition rather than a state monopoly! I think the BBC online news coverage is excellent but I don't believe it is fair that no one is able to compete with them as they have to use adverts to do so.

[CyberSimian]

I was reading about the TV Licence in the UK. I'm surprised at the high cost (145.50 GBP = 241.92 USD). That's more than 20 USD per month!

As a previous poster said, the UK TV licence fee is roughly £12 per month.

For comparison, my mother had a full (all channels) subscription to Sky satellite, and that cost £47 per month. But Sky internet would have cost extra, and Sky telephone would have cost even more extra.

As a further datum, I purchase the "Radio Times" each week (other listings magazines are available), and that averages out at £7.80 per month (for a paper programme guide!). I wouldn't try to use the EPG to decide what I want to record each week.

-- from CyberSimian in the UK

[CyberSimian]

What I object to is having no choice that money I pay is used for funding Eastenders, Strictly and various other rubbish. On BBC I only generally ever watch BBC 2 (mainly Top Gear) and BBC 4 (documentaries).

There seems to be a typographical error in your post -- "Top Gear" is in the "programmes I watch" clause, whereas it should be in the "other rubbish" clause.

I am always saddened when people criticise the British Broadcasting Corporation for not being the British Narrowcasting Corporation. These people want the BBC to broadcast only programmes that they want to watch, and are not prepared to allow the BBC to broadcast programmes that they dislike, but which other people enjoy.

Unlike Homer Simpson, I do not want to spend all of my waking hours watching TV, so I am relieved that the BBC (and the other channels) broadcast enough rubbish that I am able to have a life that involves doing things other than watching TV.

-- from CyberSimian in the UK

[barnabas1969]

For comparison, my mother had a full (all channels) subscription to Sky satellite, and that cost £47 per month.

It is my understanding that your mother would also have to pay the TV Licence fee, in addition to her satellite subscription. Is that correct?

[mark1234]

For comparison, my mother had a full (all channels) subscription to Sky satellite, and that cost £47 per month.

It is my understanding that your mother would also have to pay the TV Licence fee, in addition to her satellite subscription. Is that correct?

Correct.

There seems to be a typographical error in your post -- "Top Gear" is in the "programmes I watch" clause, whereas it should be in the "other rubbish" clause.

Also correct.

[holidayboy]

^^ correct.

You need a licence if you're receiving (any) TV broadcasts as they are transmitted.

http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/

http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-y ... ded-top12/

[barnabas1969]

Yeah, I read that. I suppose you receive BBC on satellite, so they must be paid even if you use a satellite receiver instead of an aerial.

Regarding Top Gear, I have only watched it a few times, but the episodes I've seen were fun to watch.