Less Evil Hank Scorpio said:

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This seems like a good idea to me. It's transparent, optional, and you are more or less paying a tax related to your consumption. We pay taxes and fees for TV as well, but we have no idea how much because it is so obfuscated.

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It isn't optional. If you watch any kind of broadcast while it is aired you have to have a paid license even if you hate the BBC content and don't want to pay for it. If you watch YoutubeTV or cable or a live sporting event on Amazon you have to have a license.

Seems like an easy thing someone could use as a scam. Maybe that is a feature and not a bug.

Great movie concerning this based on a true story . . . highly recommend.

Viper16 said:

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aggiehawg said:

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Yeah I had heard about that from from one of Brit youtube streamers I watch. Bizarre, isn't it?

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Brits have been paying a "TV tax/license" for decades.

I was stationed at RAF Lakenheath from 1975-1977. We lived in a small country town and had to pay the TV tax and show receipts when asked.

A small public works van would drive through the neighborhood occasionally and check addresses to see if they matched paid customers. If the customer had not paid, they would be fined on the spot.

Nothing new in Great Britain over the last 50+ years.

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We were at RAF Chicksands those years and also lived in small town. I remember the van driving around. I was just a litte kid at the time, but still thought the concept of paying a fee for a TV was crazy.

nomad2007 said:

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Ag with kids said:

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nomad2007 said:

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Live TV only, but yes, they do. They don't need it for shows/movies on streaming services.

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It's if you have a TV...

They don't care if you're using it just for streaming.

They gotta get their BBC1/BBC2 bucks...ummm...pounds...

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No, it's only for live tv programming.

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And when they have you PROVE you've NEVER watched any live tv on it...

How do you do that?

CDUB98 said:

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Any of y'all ever added up all the fees on your internet and phone bills?

We're paying a similar fee every month, effectively. It's just being 3rd party billed.

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If I want to watch NFL on Prime or Alex Honnold climb a building on Netflix I don't have to subscribe to PBS Passport to do that legally. There are no vans driving up and down my street with signal detectors to determine whether I own a TV and then inquiring/investigating whether or not I watch live TV when it's uncovered that I do live in the year 2026.

Ag with kids said:

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nomad2007 said:

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Ag with kids said:

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nomad2007 said:

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Live TV only, but yes, they do. They don't need it for shows/movies on streaming services.

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It's if you have a TV...

They don't care if you're using it just for streaming.

They gotta get their BBC1/BBC2 bucks...ummm...pounds...

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No, it's only for live tv programming.

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And when they have you PROVE you've NEVER watched any live tv on it...

How do you do that?

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Buy a tv that doesn't have a tuner. Buy a monitor and hook up a streaming box to it and you have a 'tv' that has never received a broadcast a single time because.... it physically can't.

I wonder what they do at some Gen Z houses where they don't have a TV. I know quite a few younger adults that don't have a TV and they watch everything on a laptop. Their law says any device is applicable but I wonder if they can prove it if you don't have TV set.

We probably pay more than that. But, in the US, our corrupt government takes the money whether we watch TV or not.

twelve12twelve said:

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Ag with kids said:

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nomad2007 said:

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Ag with kids said:

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nomad2007 said:

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Live TV only, but yes, they do. They don't need it for shows/movies on streaming services.

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It's if you have a TV...

They don't care if you're using it just for streaming.

They gotta get their BBC1/BBC2 bucks...ummm...pounds...

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No, it's only for live tv programming.

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And when they have you PROVE you've NEVER watched any live tv on it...

How do you do that?

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Buy a tv that doesn't have a tuner. Buy a monitor and hook up a streaming box to it and you have a 'tv' that has never received a broadcast a single time because.... it physically can't.

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And you don't have a TV. You have a monitor.

Most people, however, would have a TV. That they use for streaming. Because they want a 75" screen or something like that.

But, even then, you could buy an external tuner and connect it to the monitor. Considering it's the UK, I could see them saying that....

twelve12twelve said:

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Ag with kids said:

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nomad2007 said:

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Ag with kids said:

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nomad2007 said:

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Live TV only, but yes, they do. They don't need it for shows/movies on streaming services.

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It's if you have a TV...

They don't care if you're using it just for streaming.

They gotta get their BBC1/BBC2 bucks...ummm...pounds...

---

No, it's only for live tv programming.

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And when they have you PROVE you've NEVER watched any live tv on it...

How do you do that?

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Buy a tv that doesn't have a tuner. Buy a monitor and hook up a streaming box to it and you have a 'tv' that has never received a broadcast a single time because.... it physically can't.

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Does absolutely nothing to refute claims against you. The TV license requirement covers streaming boxes. It is not an OTA license. It is any live broadcast television. If you pay for Netflix and they have a live broadcast of Alex Honnold climbing the Taipei 101 and you watch it either when it occurs or after the fact, because it was broadcast live, you owe the U.K. government money for the privilege.

Ag with kids said:

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twelve12twelve said:

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Ag with kids said:

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nomad2007 said:

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Ag with kids said:

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nomad2007 said:

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Live TV only, but yes, they do. They don't need it for shows/movies on streaming services.

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It's if you have a TV...

They don't care if you're using it just for streaming.

They gotta get their BBC1/BBC2 bucks...ummm...pounds...

---

No, it's only for live tv programming.

---

And when they have you PROVE you've NEVER watched any live tv on it...

How do you do that?

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Buy a tv that doesn't have a tuner. Buy a monitor and hook up a streaming box to it and you have a 'tv' that has never received a broadcast a single time because.... it physically can't.

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And you don't have a TV. You have a monitor.

Most people, however, would have a TV. That they use for streaming. Because they want a 75" screen or something like that.

But, even then, you could buy an external tuner and connect it to the monitor. Considering it's the UK, I could see them saying that....

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You can get large monitors. Most people don't watch tv these days because the ads are terrible. Oh wow more boner pill commercials, apps that tell you that you have 3 door dash accounts, or some 'app' trying to act like it is a replacement for life insurance.

Well, keep watching slop. I was just offering solutions.

hph6203 said:

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twelve12twelve said:

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Ag with kids said:

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nomad2007 said:

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Ag with kids said:

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nomad2007 said:

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Live TV only, but yes, they do. They don't need it for shows/movies on streaming services.

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It's if you have a TV...

They don't care if you're using it just for streaming.

They gotta get their BBC1/BBC2 bucks...ummm...pounds...

---

No, it's only for live tv programming.

---

And when they have you PROVE you've NEVER watched any live tv on it...

How do you do that?

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Buy a tv that doesn't have a tuner. Buy a monitor and hook up a streaming box to it and you have a 'tv' that has never received a broadcast a single time because.... it physically can't.

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Does absolutely nothing to refute claims against you. The TV license requirement covers streaming boxes. It is not an OTA license. It is any live broadcast television. If you pay for Netflix and they have a live broadcast of Alex Honnold climbing the Taipei 101 and you watch it either when it occurs or after the fact, because it was broadcast live, you owe the U.K. government money for the privilege.

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So I pay for none of those and only use my pc. I am providing solutions. You don't have to have netflix or any of the slop streaming services to watch content.

twelve12twelve said:

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hph6203 said:

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twelve12twelve said:

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Ag with kids said:

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nomad2007 said:

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Ag with kids said:

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nomad2007 said:

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Live TV only, but yes, they do. They don't need it for shows/movies on streaming services.

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It's if you have a TV...

They don't care if you're using it just for streaming.

They gotta get their BBC1/BBC2 bucks...ummm...pounds...

---

No, it's only for live tv programming.

---

And when they have you PROVE you've NEVER watched any live tv on it...

How do you do that?

---

Buy a tv that doesn't have a tuner. Buy a monitor and hook up a streaming box to it and you have a 'tv' that has never received a broadcast a single time because.... it physically can't.

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Does absolutely nothing to refute claims against you. The TV license requirement covers streaming boxes. It is not an OTA license. It is any live broadcast television. If you pay for Netflix and they have a live broadcast of Alex Honnold climbing the Taipei 101 and you watch it either when it occurs or after the fact, because it was broadcast live, you owe the U.K. government money for the privilege.

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So I pay for none of those and only use my pc. I am providing solutions. You don't have to have netflix or any of the slop streaming services to watch content.

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Watch a live stream on Youtube?

Bam. Guilty

twelve12twelve said:

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Ag with kids said:

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twelve12twelve said:

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Ag with kids said:

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nomad2007 said:

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Ag with kids said:

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nomad2007 said:

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Live TV only, but yes, they do. They don't need it for shows/movies on streaming services.

---

It's if you have a TV...

They don't care if you're using it just for streaming.

They gotta get their BBC1/BBC2 bucks...ummm...pounds...

---

No, it's only for live tv programming.

---

And when they have you PROVE you've NEVER watched any live tv on it...

How do you do that?

---

Buy a tv that doesn't have a tuner. Buy a monitor and hook up a streaming box to it and you have a 'tv' that has never received a broadcast a single time because.... it physically can't.

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And you don't have a TV. You have a monitor.

Most people, however, would have a TV. That they use for streaming. Because they want a 75" screen or something like that.

But, even then, you could buy an external tuner and connect it to the monitor. Considering it's the UK, I could see them saying that....

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You can get large monitors. Most people don't watch tv these days because the ads are terrible. Oh wow more boner pill commercials, apps that tell you that you have 3 door dash accounts, or some 'app' trying to act like it is a replacement for life insurance.

Well, keep watching slop. I was just offering solutions.

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I don't live in the UK anymore so I don't care. Just pointing out how those idiots work.

twelve12twelve said:

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hph6203 said:

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twelve12twelve said:

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Ag with kids said:

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nomad2007 said:

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Ag with kids said:

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nomad2007 said:

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Live TV only, but yes, they do. They don't need it for shows/movies on streaming services.

---

It's if you have a TV...

They don't care if you're using it just for streaming.

They gotta get their BBC1/BBC2 bucks...ummm...pounds...

---

No, it's only for live tv programming.

---

And when they have you PROVE you've NEVER watched any live tv on it...

How do you do that?

---

Buy a tv that doesn't have a tuner. Buy a monitor and hook up a streaming box to it and you have a 'tv' that has never received a broadcast a single time because.... it physically can't.

---

Does absolutely nothing to refute claims against you. The TV license requirement covers streaming boxes. It is not an OTA license. It is any live broadcast television. If you pay for Netflix and they have a live broadcast of Alex Honnold climbing the Taipei 101 and you watch it either when it occurs or after the fact, because it was broadcast live, you owe the U.K. government money for the privilege.

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So I pay for none of those and only use my pc. I am providing solutions. You don't have to have netflix or any of the slop streaming services to watch content.

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Going to repeat. Does nothing to prevent you from being accused of it. Pretty silly to provide solutions to a stupid requirement rather than just critique the requirement as stupid.

You don't appreciate English humor unless you've watched Fawlty Towers and Monty Python.

Fall92 said:

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You don't appreciate English humor unless you've watched Fawlty Towers and Monty Python.

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Are you being serve and Keeping up appearances are also gems.

Psycho Bunny said:

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Fall92 said:

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You don't appreciate English humor unless you've watched Fawlty Towers and Monty Python.

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Are you being serve and Keeping up appearances are also gems.

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Deep cuts:
Not The Nine O'Clock News
The Rise and Fall of Reginald Perrin

Isn't this how pubs (public houses) started?

bonfarr said:

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Wow. I was on X and saw a post from a Brit complaining about receiving a letter warning her that Police would be visiting her if she didn't pay her TV License. I had no clue what that was so Googled it and learned that anyone watching or recording TV in the UK whether through cable, streaming, or satellite has to have a license. A TV license costs the equivalent of $240 USD annually and the money is used to fund the BBC and their version of NPR. This tax has existed since TV was received on antennas.

The license fee is not a surcharge on their cable bill or streaming bill it is a completely separate license they have to pay on its own. I cannot imagine Americans going for that. I know US taxpayers funded PBS and NPR but not $240 a year and if we had to sign up and pay for a license a lot of Americans would never do it. The BBC is allowed to use electronic surveillance to locate scofflaws watching and not paying the tax. Can you imagine if you were a conservative Brit being forced to pay for a license funding the BBC? That would be like conservative Americans being forced to give MSNBC $240 a year. They are also debating whether to require a license to use Broadband services.

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And the BBC is the UK equivalent of America's CNN. Total trash. Left. The Labour government's propaganda arm. There is a lot of chatter about trashing the BBC and the license fee.

Jarrin Jay said:

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It may have changed in the last 15 years, but on a trip to London with the better half we had done all the touristy stuff all week and the 2nd to last day was a Sat. so took the wife to the flagship Burberry store and Harrods. I gave her 2 hours in Harrods and excused myself to a pub to watch EPL football.

Made some new friends / mates in the pub (who were all drinking British Budweiser which at the time was the official beer of the EPL, weird) and they were all SHOCKED that at my house in Dallas every weekend I could pretty much watch any EPL game from the comfort of my couch. They could hardly get the matches on their TV with limited channels.

But I don't think it's just a UK issue, also in mainland EU I don't think most family homes have near the same level of tv / streaming width and depth options that we have. Could be wrong, it could all be the same now.

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I think that is a weird soccer rule. On welcome to Wrexham they have a bit about it. They have radio broadcasts, but are not allowed to show afternoon matches.





British soccer broadcasting operates under a strict "3pm blackout" rule (Article 48), prohibiting live television coverage of any football match in the UK between 14:45 and 17:15 on Saturdays.

Yeah, they have the TV license. They also have national health care, bad teeth, got rid of the death penalty, drive on the wrong side of the road, they overregulated firearms, some judges and barristers and some government officials wear wigs, they let in too many muslims, elected a muslim as the mayor of London, managed to lose the vast areas of land and vast natural resources of America and Australia, winding up with a small frozen rock they call home.

They really don't have a lot going for them.

Fall92 said:

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You don't appreciate English humor unless you've watched Fawlty Towers and Monty Python.

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And Black Adder...

100 percent agree. Also, the irony that they are going to wind up paying licensing fees to pay a settlement with Trump strikes me as hilarious:

JUST IN - U.S. judge rejects BBC's stay application in Trump defamation case

Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against BBC set for trial in February 2027, judge says pic.twitter.com/vGZzVoIgEi

— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) February 12, 2026

And, the UK is a fascist state, that has completely lost John Cleese of Monty Python fame even.

Madness https://t.co/ZNCjLr4rrv

— John Cleese (@JohnCleese) February 12, 2026