Students given licence warning over watching TV programmes on gadgets

7:10am Wednesday 23rd January 2013 in Local

WYRE Forest students taking new electronic devices they have had for Christmas back to university after the festive break are being warned they might need TV licences to view programmes on them.

TV Licensing said a licence was needed to watch television as it was broadcast.

Gadgets such as tablets, laptops, MP3 players and the latest phones all offer online access to television programmes.

Mark Whitehouse, TV Licensing spokesman for the West Midlands, said: “Many students will have received gadgets as gifts or treated themselves over the recent holiday. We want to help ensure they stay on the right side of the law.

“You need a TV Licence to watch or record TV programmes as they are broadcast, irrespective of how you receive them, what channel you're watching or what device you are using. If you don’t have a licence you risk prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000.

“Buying a TV Licence takes just a few minutes online and students can spread their payments with monthly, fortnightly, or even weekly instalments. To find out more information, people should visit tvlicensing.co.uk/students.”

Comments(14)

walkerno5 says...
10:12am Wed 23 Jan 13

Can we have some stats on how many successful prosecutions there have been of people using such devices? Many smart phones and laptops are capable of receiving TV but do they have to prove they've been used for receiving broadcasts?

I believe accessing on demand services like i-player does not require such a licence.

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harryurz says...
4:54pm Wed 23 Jan 13

Thats correct, as the article says, simply watch programmes on your device after broadcast on i-player or the like....no compulsory TV tax needs to be paid to the BBC then........

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neilhar says...
7:56pm Wed 23 Jan 13

Soz Walker. iplayer does require a licence. As does listening to radio. all whether via sets or devices of any description and the net.

Have we ever seen them go after radio listeners or, car drivers or, mobile phone/pc/smartphone users before? Nope.

This is a cynical and franjkly despicable way to raise cash. The last attack on the students, and anyone else house sharing, was to say that if one had a tv in your own room then you required a tv licence. Not so. unless one also had a yale type lock and a different address.

also, one can use their home tv licence to watch tv or listen to radio anywhere one wishes to. So long, is the technicality, that no one is in your house doing the same. So carvans, trucks, mobile phones etc are all just fine without a new tv tax.

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neilhar says...
7:59pm Wed 23 Jan 13

Rather geekily checking once a couple of years ago becasue I drove trucks with a tv in it.

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walkerno5 says...
8:52pm Wed 23 Jan 13

You're alright on iplayer (excluding simulcast) ; from the horses mouth (sort of):

http://iplayerhelp.e
xternal.bbc.co.uk/he
lp/playing_tv_progs/
tvlicence

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harryurz says...
10:07pm Wed 23 Jan 13

All a bit complex though, you'd think the BBC would make it clear.......or would they? ;-)

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Trevuk says...
11:09pm Wed 23 Jan 13

no1. you only need a licence for live tv even though other channels use ads.

no2. you can watch everything on iplayer except live tv.

no3. why bother its all boring !

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Sao Paulo says...
12:56pm Thu 24 Jan 13

"MP3 players" really, the BBC are getting more and more desperate. Lets not forget the BBC see these fake PR adverts before they do out and Mark Whitehouse doesn't work for TV Licensing, he works for clarke-associates www.clarke-associate
s.co.uk/ourteam.html
#mark

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Bedsit Bob says...
1:33pm Thu 24 Jan 13

"You need a TV Licence to watch or record TV programmes as they are broadcast, irrespective of how you receive them, what channel you're watching or what device you are using"

Not of the device is portable, and not plugged in, in which case they're covered by the licence at your main address, assuming you have a licence at that address.

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Bedsit Bob says...
1:37pm Thu 24 Jan 13

"Soz Walker. iplayer does require a licence."

Only if you are watching LIVE.

Catchup doesn't require a licence.

"As does listening to radio."

No it doesn't.

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neilhar says...
7:10pm Thu 24 Jan 13

I stand corrected on radio but All the rest I was right about. you also need a licence to watch recorded tv if it was recorded live. them getting around the you need it for live, so they can still have ya. So if a device is portable, say smartphone and not plugged in, this would be ok with no licence. or would it according to this article? The licensing website is very vague indeed. If you realy care I would check the yougov website, but I don't I have a licence.

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FlipC - The Mad Ranter says...
3:07pm Fri 25 Jan 13

Given that the law has been patched to cover technological changes I'm not surprised if if can seem confusing. So:

1: You only need a licence if you are watching or recording TV as it is being broadcast.

2: The licence for your residence also covers portable devices (ones powered by internal batteries)

3: In the case of students a licence for a Hall of Residence does not cover the residents; it only allows for communal areas.

4: There is no longer a radio licence.

Hope that's clear :-)

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neilhar says...
6:23pm Fri 25 Jan 13

Apologies. I do have a tv licence so dont need to check why i would need one. I do and it covers me for everything anywhere. Be careful though. You cannot watch a tv in a caravan, and prob a smartphone, if someone is at home using the tv there. it only covers one place at a time. or used to anyway.

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FlipC - The Mad Ranter says...
6:49pm Fri 25 Jan 13

A touring caravan is fine, but not a static one. Smartphones are always okay.

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