Watch TV Online

Do u have to have a tv licence to watch things online?

do u have to have a tv licence to watch tv shows online on things like 4od and bbc iplayer? i want to work out whether or not its worth getting one.

Public Comments

1. no
2. NO
3. No.
4. Unless you have a TV in your house or a TV card in your computer - you do not need a licence. You can check out the official line straight from the horses mouth right here: http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/information/index.jsp
5. Yes.
6. Yes, apparently, if you watch material online at the same time as it is being broadcast. How the hell they police this is quite beyond me.
7. Dont get one the bbc are thieves
8. If you don't have any tv's in the house, you don't need a licence.
9. Technically no you don't, although the TV detector van people might have something to say about it. It's an unresolved issue because the TV license only applies to wireless transmissions - TV and radio - but the internet comes through your telephone line so it is not wireless.
10. If you watch stuff live then you do to be legal. If not then you don't. For example, if you watched Barack Obama get sworn in on live streamed TV then you do need a license. Can they track you down? They know the IP address of everyone using that service. Can they connect your IP to your address? They can find your ISP but it is unlikely that they have the power to tell the ISP to give them your address.
11. Technically even if you don't have a TV you can still require a license. If you have a computer/laptop or anything for that matter that's capable of receiving a 'live' TV broadcast, by that it means you are watching a program that is being aired on a normal TV at the same time then you need a licence. If you only use things like iPlayer, 4OD etc and you are watching recorded programs then you don't need a license.
12. Yes you do if you are wathing a online TV show but NO if your watching a reorded clip.: http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/information/index.jsp read it here