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   Lady_Penelope (lady_penelope@spinster.xyz)'s status on Monday, 12-May-2025 16:08:56 JST Lady_Penelope
   I'm approaching the 1 year anniversary of paying the UK TV licence fee, so I thought I'd summerise my experience for you. Keep in mind that non payment of the licence fee is one of the main "financial" crimes women are convicted and imprisoned for in our collective countries.
   
   Why I paid: We spent more than a decade without a licence fee, not watching any live TV and instead relying on streaming services, but last year one of the boys wanted to learn about soccer by watching the Euros. As it was also an Olympic year, I thought why not, let's judge its worth.
   
   What I paid: 1 year licence fee is £174.50, can be paid upfront or via monthly Direct Debit.
   
   What I got: Full access to BBC live TV, i player content and other BBC login services. I was also able to view live TV events on other services such as live football on ITV and the live stream on Sky/Now TV. A lot of people ask if you're technically allowed to pause a live broadcast on another channel so that you're not watching it as it's broadcast, and therefore outside of the licence requirements. With an aerial this is probably a possible grey area, however when streaming online without a licence you can expect communication between apps about your status and the likes of Amazon and Sky simply block their live content from you.
   
   What I/we thought about it: So price wise, the monthly fee is roughly double that of most streaming services. And if I was paying for pedo beebo alone, I'd be ripping. I assumed paying for iPlayer would open up a much wider archive. It did not. No fecking Fawlty Towers. And every time I opened up that sodding app I was faced with some ugly ass drag queen. Soaps are cultural brainwashing and Doctor Who is so far down the shitter its having tea with the alligators. So other than the Euros and the Olympics, the only BBC content I personally sought out was the Strike adaptations and the occasional episode of Match of the Day. I was suprised how little interest I had in the Christmas schedule and while I am looking forward to my first Eurovosion in donkeys, I'll probably only tune in for the final and only then for the mortification. Youngest watched a wee bit of Cbeebies. By a long way our utilisation of the fee was definitely viewing live content on other apps, mostly sport, but also live feeds on other apps that simply helped outsource the decision of what I/we will watch tonight.
   
   If the UK government had any sense, they would charge a small, reasonable levy for live TV access without BBC content. I mean, there shouldn't even be that, but at least then the Beeb would have some incentive to be value for money as it would be more obvious when people are paying for access rather than content. That anyone is prosecuted, nevermind imprisoned for none payment for this dross is the only crime here.
   
   Oh and for the record, child who requested the Euros watched one match before declaring soccer to be really boring.
   • KeepTakingTheSoma likes this.
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     Feart n Tired ??????? (feartntired@spinster.xyz)'s status on Monday, 12-May-2025 16:09:06 JST Feart n Tired ???????

     in reply to
     @Lady_Penelope you don't need to pay the licence for radio, but mum does because radio 3 remains a major source of her music, the BBC orchestras are still going, and I listen to a handful of radio 4 origs I'd really miss. Otherwise, yeah major reform needed. Also the gardening progs on TV. But that's a sore point in her state.
     
     Child is correct.
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     RadicalCartoons (radicalcartoons@spinster.xyz)'s status on Monday, 12-May-2025 16:09:06 JST RadicalCartoons

     in reply to

     • Feart n Tired ???????
     @FeartnTired @Lady_Penelope But if you only have a radio, you don't need to pay the tv licence?
     KeepTakingTheSoma likes this.
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     RadicalCartoons (radicalcartoons@spinster.xyz)'s status on Monday, 12-May-2025 16:09:22 JST RadicalCartoons

     in reply to
     @Lady_Penelope I'm in my 20th year of NOT paying for the BBC or owning a television.
     🍰🎂🧁🥳
     KeepTakingTheSoma likes this.
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     RadicalCartoons (radicalcartoons@spinster.xyz)'s status on Monday, 12-May-2025 16:09:51 JST RadicalCartoons

     in reply to
     @Lady_Penelope It was when I was living on benefits in the early 2000s, in a 12ft×10ft bedsit, that I realised how a tv dominates the room!
     KeepTakingTheSoma likes this.
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     Lady_Penelope (lady_penelope@spinster.xyz)'s status on Monday, 12-May-2025 16:09:52 JST Lady_Penelope

     in reply to

     • RadicalCartoons
     @RadicalCartoons Oh well done you. I lived most of the 00s without one, didn't miss it. Even now I barely bother, too busy during the day, too tired at the end. Audio books and podcasts on as I fall asleep. Radio on in the morning. I started to listen to the live broadcast again rather than catch up because the boy's dad struggles with what time and day it is when he's going off on one, and having the hourly news updates really help ground him.