Previously, only live content streamed on the service was covered by the £145.50-a-year licence fee, while those watching shows on catch-up could do so free of charge.
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On Thursday September 1 a loophole that allowed viewers to catch up with shows on BBC iPlayer was closed, meaning that anybody wishing to use the on-demand service must now confirm they have a TV licence.
The government had originally planned for this change to take force from 2017, but it reneged on this, and the change takes effect today.
For “on demand”, almost 81 per cent identified the correct definition, however many failed to realise the term includes three components; catch-up TV; exclusive programmes only available online; and watching a programme “on demand” before it is shown on TV.
So what exactly do I need a licence for?
The maximum penalty is a £1,000 fine plus any legal costs and/or compensation you may be ordered to pay.
As an additional note of interest, a licence is not needed to view items via other catch-up curators, such as ITV Hub, All 4 and Demand 5. The move is created to help the BBC plug a £150m gap in its finances caused by the increasing number of people who were opting out of the TV licence.
You can buy or renew your licence online at http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk.
Previous year the BBC announced a £150 million shortfall in licence fee income for 2016/17, saying there had been a faster-than-predicted fall in the percentage of households owning televisions because of people viewing through catch-up. But I do actually have one?
How can TV licensing detect if you’re covered by a valid licence or not?
“And, of course, you still need to be covered by a licence for all live viewing and recording, no matter which channel you are watching or what device you are watching on”.
The licence fee allows the BBC’s United Kingdom services to remain free of adverts and independent of shareholder and political interest. In the Isle of Man, residents the free licence will continue until it expires.
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You do, however, have to apply for this – you don’t get it automatically. This means they can check if you have a valid licence or not.
