The Price of Watching TV in the UK

hamilton_square · Post by **hamilton_square** » Wed Jun 19, 2013 8:12 pm

I can safely say that there is hardly anyone still remaining in the English speaking world who has never heard of the BBC. Dating back to 1922, the BBC is the largest broadcaster in the world in terms of employees (23,000) with annual revenues of 5bn GBP / 7.8bn USD. I daresay if asked, the Royal Family, the Beatles and the BBC would be the three most popular answers in any poll to name the UK’s most recognisable ‘brands’.

However, outside the UK there are many who are unaware as to how exactly the BBC is funded. To put it in a nutshell, near each and every UK household equipped with at least one means of receiving TV broadcasts is required by law to pay an annual licence fee of 145.50 GBP / 225.00 USD to cover transmissions received in colour or 49.00 GBP / 75.00 USD to cover transmissions received in black and white. And, yes believe-it-or-not, there still are some 13,000 UK registered households who at the last count had non-colour TV sets. According to data from the UK TV Licensing Authority the number of TV licences issued since 2004 has varied between 24 and 25-million annually.

Even knowing of the legal requirement to annually purchase a TV licence, the BBC reports that during 2011 more than 256,000 people were caught using a TV without a licence with that number climbing to over 400,000 by the end of 2012.

To read some of the more wacky excuses given by non-licence buying offenders go to:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14975564

and …

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22947160

8mileshigher · Post by **8mileshigher** » Wed Jun 19, 2013 8:21 pm

Is this pay-point machine mentioned in the article some sort of credit card swipe device attached to your TV set, for it to function ??? Otherwise, how do the BBC Gestapo find out if someone doesn't pay up or not ??? How do they know if you are receiving color or black-and-white signals ???

Great excuse offered in the second article, that they didn't have to pay, because their pet was related to one of the Queen's dogs !!!

hamilton_square · Post by **hamilton_square** » Wed Jun 19, 2013 8:45 pm

8mileshigher wrote:Otherwise, how do the BBC Gestapo find out if someone doesn't pay up or not ??? How do they know if you are receiving color or black-and-white signals ???

Back in the dark ages there used to be fleets of TV detector vans roaming the streets of Britain (see the linked article below). However, these days it’s just a man (or woman) with a hand-held device that can pick up a switched on TV from 30 feet away. Then if the central computer system shows no licence registered to that address, it’s a knock on the door followed by a legal request to inspect an occupant’s TV licence if indeed they have one.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -home.html

antipodean · Post by **antipodean** » Wed Jun 19, 2013 9:53 pm

I thought the price of watching TV in the UK was EastEnders....

kiramdear · Post by **kiramdear** » Wed Jun 19, 2013 10:20 pm

Well, here they have practically eliminated all traditionally broadcast programming, to the point that there's almost nothing to watch that doesn't come in on cable. So we pay the cable companies, and it's a heck of a lot more than the sum you mention. I miss the good old days.

jps · Post by **jps** » Wed Jun 19, 2013 11:05 pm

kiramdear wrote:...we pay the cable companies, and it's a heck of a lot more than the sum you mention.

By far!

fatcat · Post by **fatcat** » Thu Jun 20, 2013 7:27 am

I don't sub to cabble or a dish anymore.It's rooftop antenna and Roku.

I wonder if one would still have to pay the BBC fee if their only source was a satellite dish and streaming.

Hotzenplotz · Post by **Hotzenplotz** » Thu Jun 20, 2013 12:34 pm

Ha, come to Germany!:

Since this year we HAVE to pay 290$/ 185£/ 215€ per household a year, even if You do not have a TV or Radio!!!

- No "Gestapo" needed anymore...

If You want to have ordinary cable TV (not the 100+ channel version, let's call it provision with basic supplies) You double the costs for that.

And when I compare the quality all BCC users receive a way better programme, a worldwide net of correspondents, better news and a much bigger variety of content.

BTW I prefer to listen to BBC online. I can not stand that stupid rubbish here anymore. Driving my car I listen to CD or turn the radio off.

THIS is sad!

cjj · Post by **cjj** » Thu Jun 20, 2013 1:09 pm

So, the BBC is funded by revenue from the TV taxes. Does that mean you don't have commercial advertisements? That's what pays for most TV in the U.S.

What about in Germany?

8mileshigher · Post by **8mileshigher** » Thu Jun 20, 2013 1:12 pm

antipodean wrote:I thought the price of watching TV in the UK was EastEnders....

8mileshigher · Post by **8mileshigher** » Thu Jun 20, 2013 1:14 pm

Hotzenplotz wrote:Driving my car I listen to CD or turn the radio off.
THIS is sad!

Good reason to purchase the RRF Forum CDs, or downloads of same, for some good music listening !

Hotzenplotz · Post by **Hotzenplotz** » Thu Jun 20, 2013 1:49 pm

cjj wrote:So, the BBC is funded by revenue from the TV taxes. Does that mean you don't have commercial advertisements? That's what pays for most TV in the U.S.

What about in Germany?

We have two different kinds of stations:
1. public service broadcasters (two main channels and about ten very similar, regional channels)
2. private ones

You only pay for the "work" of #1, the private ones are only financed by advertising. The public ones have advertising, too at least until 20:00. After 20:00 they only broadcast surreptitious advertising (what is forbidden, normally).

You can imagine that people here are "not satisfied" with that. Actually it is a big theme here. But the government decided to keep that and to strengthen that state - although it is unconstitutionally: a broadcasting tax is not allowed here but they call it a bit different, something like "household tribute".

As You can imagine people are very angry about that. But it will not change, I am sure. There is no judge that is free enough to deliver a judgment.

ken_j · Post by **ken_j** » Thu Jun 20, 2013 7:03 pm

Hotzenplotz wrote: ... I prefer to listen to BBC online. I can not stand that stupid rubbish here anymore. Driving my car I listen to CD or turn the radio off.

THIS is sad!

Living near the border I always listen to the CBC Radio 2 in the car. No ads and I don't have to pay taxes for it. I believe they also stream some of the shows. I like Shift and Drive, plus many of the live broadcasts.

electrofaro · Post by **electrofaro** » Fri Jun 21, 2013 12:52 pm

Hotzenplotz wrote:And when I compare the quality all BCC users receive a way better programme, a worldwide net of correspondents, better news and a much bigger variety of content.

Humbug... German tv is actually very good. It's not the BBC, but german tv is still a little less political correct and less inclined to follow party nonsense from the ruling government. Anyway, here in Holland it's generated from taxes in general so I do pay as well every year but unclear how much that might be. 215 EUR is steep though, as I do not have a tv and only listen to online streams

Hotzenplotz · Post by **Hotzenplotz** » Fri Jun 21, 2013 1:18 pm

Well, Werner, in this case we should agree that we disagree.

Listening to e.g. BBC2 I do not have to stand advertising compared to our state-owned stations.

And do not forget: a people of 80 million HAS to pay. No chance for a decision. And I sold my TV - but I have to pay. Thanks!
In the UK live about 62 million people. 25% less money to raise.
Then compare the world wide net of journalists the BBC runs to our small net of correspondents.
In relation the result and quality is way less here.

And the content is massively but subtile influenced by different parties that stuff the supervisory boards. Very much money is wasted to run oversized waterheads of adminstration, too. - Not for production!

E.g. modern music (not that nasty oompa dirt!) does only happen late at night in some (not all) regional broadcasters, and only sometimes.

The movies the ARD and ZDF are producing is more than 70% bad and brainless mush. - "Mental level limbo", ideal world **** too keep the people mentally anaesthesised.
Of course there are some good productions but You need a loupe to find that (in the night programme!).

They claim the money for education work but in the end the ratings decide. All that framed by much advertising.

IMHO the BBC does its job much better.

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