Do you need a TV licence and how much does it cost?

Live events like sports will need a TV licence (Picture: Getty)

With the cost of living crisis showing no signs of easing up, many households will be looking at any way they can to ease the burden.

With inflation reaching over 10% and the cost of a pint potentially reaching £14, people’s money will be stretched thin, with people getting less than they’re used to while spending more.

As a result, people might be looking at cancelling costly gym memberships or reducing the number of streaming sites they’re signed up for, like Netflix, Disney Plus and Amazon Prime.

Another expense one might look into is their TV licence. If you’re not watching much live TV, do you need it? What are the rules around having one and how much is it?  

How much is the TV licence?

A TV Licence costs £159 per year.

You can pay this in one go, but most people choose to spread the cost by Direct Debit.

If you are legally blind (severely sight impaired), you can apply for a 50% discount.

You might need the TV Licence even if you don’t watch traditional television (Picture: PA)

Do you need a TV licence?

In short, if you want to watch live television, yes, you need a valid TV licence.

Watching live TV doesn’t even just have to be on a traditional television set either.

You’ll need a TV licence if you:

• Watch or record programmes as they’re being shown on TV, on any channel
• Watch or stream programmes live on an online TV service (such as ITV Hub, All 4, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Now TV, Sky Go, etc.)
• Download or watch any BBC programmes on BBC iPlayer.

There’s no getting around with pedantry, either. If you don’t own an actual TV but you stream content through a laptop, tablet or smartphone, you’ll still need a licence.

If you don’t watch live TV, you can eschew having the TV licence (Picture: Getty)

If you only watch anytime content from the likes of Netflix, Disney+ and Prime Video, like Stranger Things, Selling Sunset, She-Hulk and more, you won’t need a licence.

If you’re thinking of giving up on a TV licence to cut costs, you need to be sure you and everyone in your home follows the rules.

While you might save money upfront, if you’re found to have streamed something live or downloaded anything from iPlayer, this could lead to a £1,000* fine, with the maximum up to £2000 in Guernsey.

MORE : Young, fun and carefree? No chance. How the under 30s became the latest victims of the cost of living crisis

MORE : Don’t Pay UK: The campaign calling for people to stop paying their energy bills

Follow Metro across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Share your views in the comments below.

from News – Metro https://ift.tt/woecmRb