h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

TV Licencing have stated that you now need a TV licence to watch the BBCs live world cup coverage through their web streaming. No TV, tv card or in fact any thing which receaves TV signals.

Does this mean everyone with web access will now need to get a TV Licence? After all you need a TV licence whether you watch the BBC chanels or not, merely having the ability to watch the BBC requires that you have a licence. Logicaly this means that they now believe everyone who can acces the BBCs programs which are streamed over the net needs a TV Licence.

Whoever came up with this obviously hasn't been turning up for their chlorpromazine injections.

You can read the full story here. Oh and it contradicts itself too;
"It doesn't matter how you're watching, if you are watching a live match you will need a licence."
"You don't need a licence to watch the matches live on any of the BBC's big screens"

http://www.radiotimes.com/content/features/newsletter200625/01/

Right....going a bit nuts now.

You don't need a liscence to watch it on a BBC big screen, but experience has told me you may need a helmet.

Maybe it depends what they mean by "big screen" etc.

It's fairly obvious that they mean the giant outdoor screens (like in the centre of Manchester) on which all the World Cup games on the BBC and all the England matches regardless of channel are shown.

You need a helmet because drunken chavs decide to hurl as much debris as possible around. At weekend a branch got hurled at a bunch of police, quite amusingly.

yeah, well how on earth would they regulate something like that? Would be so much harder to get people not to see/watch it without paying than it would for a tv.

Traveller in Time a bit
"Will they be paying for people that do not watch it too ?

I concider the television on green something similar to a Windows system on blue (or a Linux system on kernel dump)."

They can't regulate it. That's why they can't insist that you own a liscence if you want to watch it on the big screen.

What they're basically saying is that they're treating you watching the match on your computer like they would you watching in on a TV. You need a license basically to be able to watch it on your computer, as you would if you watched it on tv.

Its quite silly, for so many reasons which I dont want to get into, but basically fi you're watching it from work, I'd check if a license existed.

Yes, but a TV licence isn't _for_ streaming media

true. But BBC are saying that they're allowing it to be shown on the internet without a cost being incurred. Therefore, a tv license should still be paid.

why? I used to wath Never Mind The Buzzcocks streamed over the net, I didn't have to pay for that and noone said a TV licence was needed. A TV Licence is for broadcast media, i.e. radio and TV.

"If you use a TV or any other device to receive or record TV programmes (for example, a VCR, set-top box, DVD recorder or PC with a broadcast card) - you need a TV Licence. You are required by law to have one."

This was taken from the TV License Information page (http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/information/index.jsp)

Basically, if you're using a PC to receive a TV programme, you need a TV License.

Ahh actually the law is iffy on this one, because it could be argued, validly, that it is not a television program you are watching, but a webcast

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/television%20program
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/television
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/program

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/webcast

Sorry I posted that before I'd finished. If you start classifying webcasts as television programs then anyone with the internet, or arguably only broadband, in the UK legaly needs a TV licence.

yeah. Its a bit annoying what they're doing, and I'm not sure how it makes sense, but oh well

I think it's totally unfair and unjust.

I mean, lets face it. All that would happen if the BBC were to take a tough stance on this is that...

a. People would take time off sick during a crucial match. Or in fact, any match.

b. People would take time off sick during a crucial match. Or in fact, any match.

c. People would take time off sick during a crucial match. Or in fact, any match.

d. People would take time off sick during a crucial match. Or in fact, any match.


Do you think I've made my point on this one?

I'm not sure I quite understood point c), I got the others ok though.

I could explain point c to you if you'd like me to.

I know it's a little confusing and perhaps someone of your limited knowledge and thought might find it difficult to understand.

you better run, little girl