BBC TV licence for over 75s

[Swinglowandslow]

Apart from the daft decision of the Government to ask the BBC to decide whether or not to continue receiving less income by letting the "free for over 75s "concession continue, the recent announcement by the BBC has brought the whole question of the licence fee into discussion.
Yes, there are many elderly who can afford the fee. But there are many who cannot, and they also are of a generation reluctant to claim benefits, including pension credit, and they are the ones that will be badly hit.
Of all the age groups, pensioners are the loneliest who , because of that, most use TV to relieve that loneliness, and here we are, making things worse for them.
It wouldn't be so bad if they just lost the BBC programmes, but they'll lose ALL television!

Which brings me , IMO, to the crazy ,diabolical ,dishonourable application of the law.

Suppose the situation was that there was no BBC channels, but television in other respects was as it is now. There was ITV, Sky etc, all funded in their particular ways. And you watched it as you wished.
Then there's a knock on your door, and a chap says he is offering a new set of TV channels called BBC.
It costs £154 per year, and there are 4 channels etc etc. Do you want to sign up?
You say, hesitating,well...not so sure...
He goes on, Actually, the deal is that if you watch other channels, and not the BBC ones, you still have to pay the £154 to us...
And, what's more, if you don't, we'll take you to a criminal court and have you fined.

So, would you believe it? And when you did ,what would you think of it?

In any event , we seem to be in that situation!

What do you think?

 

[patricks148]

wasn't it part of Tory manifesto they would not scrap any pensioner benefits??

on the other hand the Tories are going to have to pay for all the tax cuts for the rich somehow so less money for the beeb

 

[2blue]

Then there's a knock on your door, and a chap says he is offering a new set of TV channels called BBC.
It costs £154 per year, and there are 4 channels etc etc. Do you want to sign up?

Yeah, I'd pay £3 a week to have TV without commercials.

 

[Crazyface]

We are down to watching BBC breakfast live and Killing Eve. Everything else is now, for us, watched on Amazon....when this was announced to TV today it prompted our usual debate and and the wife has finally caved. I have to check out what else is available, Netflix etc etc (other non live stuff) and our TV licence will be no more. HURRAH !!!!!!

 

[Lord Tyrion]

wasn't it part of Tory manifesto they would not scrap any pensioner benefits??

on the other hand the Tories are going to have to pay for all the tax cuts for the rich somehow so less money for the beeb

It is not a pensioner benefit because the concession is currently paid for by the BBC, not the govt. The BBC were stuffed over that, it was lumped onto them to pay for but then the govt cut their funding. It was an obvious one that had to go at some point.

I think the licence fee is outdated in the modern era, it's time is nearly up. The BBC will have to go to a subscription service and they will end up closing a lot of what they currently do which is simply not economic.

My understanding is that pensioners on the most basic pension will still get it free, if over 75. The others will need to pay the £3 per week, as per the rest of us and as they used to pay for many years previously. I'm not against the ending of this.

 

[Orikoru]

I personally think the future of TV is streaming and on-demand anyway. Hopefully if that trend continues eventually the TV license will be obsolete. I absolutely resent having to pay it, I think it's daylight robbery personally. If it was just a fee to watch BBC channels I wouldn't bother, but since it covers any live TV you're pretty much screwed. Basically the only live TV I watch is football, streamed through an app, but even that you need a license for. It's pathetic. Other than that I only watch Netflix/Amazon etc so I could easily get by.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

I personally think the future of TV is streaming and on-demand anyway. Hopefully if that trend continues eventually the TV license will be obsolete. I absolutely resent having to pay it, I think it's daylight robbery personally. If it was just a fee to watch BBC channels I wouldn't bother, but since it covers any live TV you're pretty much screwed. Basically the only live TV I watch is football, streamed through an app, but even that you need a license for. It's pathetic. Other than that I only watch Netflix/Amazon etc so I could easily get by.

With the state of broadband infrastructure within the country we are decades away for something that will allow - there are still areas within the UK that will struggle to get 1mbps and the streaming via You Tube for the CL was shocking for lots of people. Look at how Eleven Sports have failed spectacularly

The majority of the country rely on the digital broadcasting to the point companies still invest millions into the infrastructure to update it and it will be around for a long time. Just like the BBC will be and their license fee which of course is superb value for money for the majority of people in the UK

Subscription telly and downloading and streaming only is a very small market within the UK and it’s not growing massively - one of the main reasons why Netflix joined in Sky.

The BBC do a hell of a lot for a lot of people and at the grand sum of £12 a month - excellent value

 

[Kellfire]

About time this happened.

 

[Orikoru]

With the state of broadband infrastructure within the country we are decades away for something that will allow - there are still areas within the UK that will struggle to get 1mbps and the streaming via You Tube for the CL was shocking for lots of people. Look at how Eleven Sports have failed spectacularly

The majority of the country rely on the digital broadcasting to the point companies still invest millions into the infrastructure to update it and it will be around for a long time. Just like the BBC will be and their license fee which of course is superb value for money for the majority of people in the UK

Subscription telly and downloading and streaming only is a very small market within the UK and it’s not growing massively - one of the main reasons why Netflix joined in Sky.

The BBC do a hell of a lot for a lot of people and at the grand sum of £12 a month - excellent value

Eleven Sports over-reached, all they had was Spanish and Italian footy. Not enough UK viewers care about them to pay for an app. The license fee is just another tax holding people to ransom. More and more people are cancelling it as they work out there are ways around it, they are putting the fee up again to compensate, but it won't wash forever. It's on borrowed time.

 

[MegaSteve]

Eleven Sports over-reached, all they had was Spanish and Italian footy. Not enough UK viewers care about them to pay for an app. The license fee is just another tax holding people to ransom. More and more people are cancelling it as they work out there are ways around it, they are putting the fee up again to compensate, but it won't wash forever. It's on borrowed time.

As no doubt they'll work out how to view all content without payment in our current freeloading society... Then, no doubt, they'll be mightily puzzled why content declines in quality and amount...

 

[Orikoru]

As no doubt they'll work out how to view all content without payment in our current freeloading society... Then, no doubt, they'll be mightily puzzled why content declines in quality and amount...

BBC content couldn't decline much further.

 

[MegaSteve]

BBC content couldn't decline much further.

Ken Bruce, of a morning, even without viewing Gardeners World is worthy of the licence fee alone 👍...

 

[Tashyboy]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-48583487

This is the BBCs take on it. The bit that makes me chuckle is that 52% agreed it should change. Now where have I heard 52% before. But it's to close to change owt. Am off to the pictures but this has proper gripped mah poo. More later

 

[drdel]

If they want to pay 'commercially' based salaries then they should be subject to the commercial world rather than get their income irrespective of the quality of output.

You only need about 12,500 payers to cover Lineker's fee!!

 

[Deleted member 18121]

I think it's about time the mandatory TV tax was scrapped, its only a matter of time until it is.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

I think it's about time the mandatory TV tax was scrapped, its only a matter of time until it is.

I think you will be surprised because of the level of funding they need and it constantly needing cut and the level of usage around the country - the majority don’t mind the BBC and people won’t pay for subscription telly and hate adverts. It’s a small price to pay for a lot of quality broadcasting - the license fee will continue for a long time IMO

 

[MegaSteve]

I suspect the tory boys 'n girls will be after shutting libraries next as it's only oldies that make use of them... Plus, as a bonus, it helps out with their mate Bezos profits...

 

[Deleted member 1740]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1138428569342943233

Tom Watson 👏👏👏

 

[Jamesbrown]

The poorest of pensioners still get it for free.
Perfectly fine decision.

On the other hand, I don’t pay it. And I know a few others that don’t.
Doesn’t offer any value for money for me. Netflix and Streaming for me.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

Personally I dont have an issue with removing the over 75 free tv licenses, and I would go so far as to take it away from everyone. As much as I think most pensioners have paid in enough through their life for most things, I do think that in the current climate and with the BBC being made to cover it now is the time it was changed, unless the Government want to take it back under their wings.
Lets be clear though, it also covers advert free radio