License to Watch TV??

[cessna152towser]

Colour TV receiver licence £131.50 per year; black and white £44 per year.
The licence is for the equipment necessary to receive the radio broadcast transmissions, so no licence required for viewing news, weather, and other channels which are available on computer via laptop, including those provided by BBC.

[Hamish]

The British TV Licence is nothing new. I don't know when it was introduced but it has been going for as long as I can remember. Prior to that we had a Radio Licence, but radio equipment is now covered by the TV Licence.

Personally, I do not begrudge paying for my Licence at all, and I would happily pay more if it meant keeping commercials off the BBC (TV and radio).

Now the digital TV is coming in we have many more BBC TV channels to watch - all without commercials. Fair enough, the constantly repeated programme 'previews' shown between regular programmes, are annoying, but they are not as bad as the commercials shown on the Commercial channels!!

The massive BBC website alone is well worth the Licence fee.

By the way, in five years time I will not need a TV Licence - they are free for the over 75s!

[Rex_Tremende]

To be honest, I haven't turned on the TV much since I started reading Xmarks - maybe four hours in the last four months. Thank goodness it doesn't cost any more than my monthly internet bill!

Regards,
Rex in Cincinnati

[ronstew]

I am told that specially equipped trucks roam through British neighbourhoods looking for the electromagnetic emissions of unlicensed TVs.

[Moose McLennan]

I am told that specially equipped trucks roam through British neighbourhoods looking for the electromagnetic emissions of unlicensed TVs.

I think that one falls under the category of 'urban legend' .

The system here in Germany is essentially the same as in the UK. And just not having a TV is not enough - you are required to license radios, even car radios, and in the very near future internet enabled computers.

All this for the privilege of being able to watch hours and hours of oompah oompah music, not to mention repeats.

M.

[Freelander Sporrano]

Funny how this thread gets me. I just received my bill for my TV licence from Norwegian Broadcasting

Price for 6 months 1020 Kr

Thats €127
or $162 US or
£86

Expensive for 6 months in my opinion...Whats cheap in Norway...

Mustn't grumble they do send MOTG at times :rolleyes:

[Mike1]

I recall reading somewhere that a brouhaha was expected with the increasing use of portable television devices (i.e. wrist T.V.'s, etc.).

[Sylvain]

Whats cheap in Norway...

Snow?

In Canada, we don't have a TV license, but CBC/SRC gets public funding form general taxation. That means you pay for it even if you don't have a TV set...

[jfellrath]

Funny how this thread gets me. I just received my bill for my TV licence from Norwegian Broadcasting

Price for 6 months 1020 Kr

Thats €127
or $162 US or
£86

Expensive for 6 months in my opinion...Whats cheap in Norway...

Mustn't grumble they do send MOTG at times :rolleyes:

Look at it this way, Freelander - to get cable television (which you pretty much need if you want to watch anything decent) in the US costs us around $70 a month, on average. You're getting quite a deal.

[Freelander Sporrano]

Look at it this way, Freelander - to get cable television (which you pretty much need if you want to watch anything decent) in the US costs us around $70 a month, on average. You're getting quite a deal.

Not really I pay and additional $50 a month just so I can watch anything decent. BBC prime and Discovery etc

The non commercial channels not bad the other national channel is just full of cheap American reality programs (or Norwegian copies)Sorry about that...But Don't you Americans have decent TV ? I'm just wondering.

I hope you don't take offence . It's just when I see these programs on occasion I get to wondering about the American viewing public. Don't you ever complain about the rubbish on your tele's?

When they show a new American program over here they say "The most seen program in America" or some such It's usually rubbish.

Sorry about the rant. I wouldn't mind some answers.