Author Topic: License to watch tv? (Read 1516 times)

Fishu · « **Reply #15 on:** July 16, 2007, 02:22:28 PM »

The licences simply said sucks, they don't serve the purpose anymore today, with a bunch of commercial channels and everyone owning a TV. It's the same thing over here in Finland as well - Gotta pay if you can watch any TV channel (foreign included).

Back in the days the money was used to improve the TV network and fund an "impartial" TV company (oddly though, it has been always in line with the government) which only funding comes from the government and the license fees. It worked back in the days when there wasn't many channels at all and not many had a TV.

Nowadays the license fee is hindering the technological advancements. We're about to turn into a digital TV era, which has been funded by the fees and government. The process has been nothing short of a rushed project with amateurs in the lead of it. Now that we have the capability, which will be soon enforced (no digital box, no finnish channels for you. Analog goes bye bye), they have decided at the fee funded company that they're not going to use all the capabilities of the digital TV. They have a capability to broadcast programs with higher quality, but they don't want to invest into it (heck, they already got the capability hardware wise!) . The commercial channels, however, are one by one beginning to broadcast programs with the higher quality. In the near future most households will be equipped with HDTV capability, but the fee funded company has no plans for it at all. Digital TV has lesser quality than HDTV, but we're not even having the full potential of the highly hyped digital TV technology.

An era has died - the TV license fee has outlived its days. Our new minister for communication is critical towards the fee, unlike the predecessors. Some government officials/TV fee funded company representives have even hinted the possibility of having to pay TV license for having an internet connection, because it's possible to watch TV over the net. Supposedly "the quality of internet broadcasts is insufficient" for the fee to be necessary at the time being. AFAIK germans have to pay the fee for an internet connection.

LYNX · « **Reply #16 on:** July 16, 2007, 02:32:32 PM »

Personally can't stand commercial TV. The bloody adverts drive me mad. Treat ya like some kind of imbecile. Often the adverts don't even sell the stupid product just the perceived life style of those that actually buy the meaningless crap........ Give me a *&^%ing brake.

Unlike some American stations our poxy adverts are not smack bang in the middle of the punch line or cruscendo of a movie. Their roughly spaced at 15 min or 30 min intervals. Excluding Brit cable or satellite on this analogy where there's adverts almost every 10 bleeding minutes.

As for the hundred an forty quid for all BBC stations I say it's a cheap price to pay. Film starts and no stops until the end. Same for any show go stop. Couple mins of whats coming on tonight or whats on next week and bang into the next show, film or news program. NO POXY ADVERTS.

Just wish there was more programs I like. Can't bloody well stand Dead Enders or freaking period drama's. "Oh Mr Bleedin Darcy" I am undone". BBC's big failing are repeats. "Good life" from the 70's gets repeated near enough every year. Not enough investment in new talent and paying to much for certain hosts. Johanath Ross or Rowth as he says it has been paid, in a 3 year deal, 17 Million quid of licenses payers money just host a show. Yer he's a funny guy, informed and not a complete avacado but 17 million quid. Give me a %^&*ing brake.

BBC 1,2,3,and 4. BCC news 24. Radio's 1,2,3,4,5, and all the regional BBC station are all COMMERCIAL free.

Recommend you guys listen to BBC Radio2 on the Internet in your mornings. You'll get a geezer called Steve Wright with his possy. Light hearted show with music a 45 year old could listen to and all without 1 poxy commercial.

.....................Have BBC Radio 2 on me guys

............................. .

LYNX · « **Reply #17 on:** July 16, 2007, 02:56:46 PM »

PS....No lusting after Sally Traffic there's half a million Brit truckers in line for her.

wooley · « **Reply #18 on:** July 16, 2007, 03:06:29 PM »

The license fee pays for the BBC, which is a great thing. It means:

1. The BBC is commercial free.

2. The BBC is not a slave to ratings and can therefore take risks with programming other channels wouldn't. No commercial channel would ever have brought you 'Little Britain' or 'The Office'.

Its unrelated to the license fee, but the quality of journalism from the BBC is also unmatched elsewhere.

The only downside is that in recent years, the Beeb has not been able to match the bids for major sporting and other events from companies like Sky. This has meant a lot of people missing out on showpiece event like FA Cup Finals etc.

Fishu · « **Reply #19 on:** July 16, 2007, 03:59:08 PM »

I wish the license fee channels over here would have some of the quality of BBC. Too big part of the channel's programs are in swedish and the swedish section gets more funding per program than the finnish section, even though finn-swedes are a huge minority of 5%, which of most are fluent in finnish. With all the license fees we don't even get everything out of the highly hyped digital TV. The license fees aren't such a big success over here.

Dowding · « **Reply #20 on:** July 16, 2007, 05:18:02 PM »

BBC radio has no peers. Radio 4 has had an amazing success rate with new comedy talent over last 15 years.

McFarland · « **Reply #21 on:** July 16, 2007, 06:01:00 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by wooley
2. The BBC is not a slave to ratings and can therefore take risks with programming other channels wouldn't. No commercial channel would ever have brought you 'Little Britain' or 'The Office'.

NBC, which is commercial, shows 'The Office' every Thursday night. Granted, I'm in America, but I've been watching TV for quite some time now, and the commercials don't bother me. It just adds to the wait for what's going to happen next in the movie, and gives it more suspense. And one channel doesn't have commercials, channel 15, which is public television. And it has most of the shows that I watch, like Nature, and Nova, which are scientific shows. But if someone tried to make me pay for a license to watch TV, I'd call him an idiot. If they're allowed to radiate me property with their radio waves, I'm allowed to intercept a few and watch them on TV.

WilldCrd · « **Reply #22 on:** July 16, 2007, 06:08:48 PM »

Just do what them yanks do and STEAL your cable!!!!
yeah stick it to the MAN......man

McFarland · « **Reply #23 on:** July 16, 2007, 06:13:23 PM »

Actually, we had free cable for a while. When me aunt and uncle were living with me papaw, they got cable. Well, when they left, they cancelled the subscription. The cable company never came and cut the line, so we had free cable for aboot 7 years.

wooley · « **Reply #24 on:** July 16, 2007, 06:16:15 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by McFarland
NBC, which is commercial, shows 'The Office' every Thursday night.

Yes, but the American or any of the other national versions of The Office would never have been made if it were not for the success of the BBC original.

McFarland · « **Reply #25 on:** July 16, 2007, 06:17:06 PM »

Ah, thanks for clarifying.

Rolex · « **Reply #26 on:** July 16, 2007, 06:48:33 PM »

I'm sure he doesn't understand the history of "The Office." I wonder how much he pays to support the public television channel that has most of the shows he likes to watch?

FBplmmr · « **Reply #27 on:** July 16, 2007, 07:15:48 PM »

so what is the actual fee .. say / month to have a tv with an antenna on it?
what if you choose a cable provider.. do you still pay the fee?

wooley · « **Reply #28 on:** July 16, 2007, 08:26:45 PM »

The license fee is about 135UKP / $270US per year per household.

You need to pay it if you own a TV set regardless of whether you intend to watch BBC or not (its carried by all the commercial cable and satellite companies anyway).

LYNX · « **Reply #29 on:** July 16, 2007, 08:54:50 PM »

To clarify a few points the License fee is used by the BBC. It's not a tax. The money goes into shows both on TV and Radio. If you have 1 TV or 6 you have to pay the fee. Not sure about Internet.

If you don't have a TV you don't need a license and some guy will call at your house to see that you don't. Hence detector vans if my some chance your never in or answer the door when they call:lol

You can be fined up to a thousand quid for not having a license.

Cable and Satellite stations are pay per month and have different packages. Makes it hard to tell you what the fee's are. As an average you would be paying 25 quid ($50) but even then they punt pay for view for things like movies or major sporting events. may only be 80 pence for a movie but it could be a fiver ($10). Expect any sporting event to start at a fiver.