Brits warned over BBC TV licence hell as Netflix users could be fined £1,000

Telly watching Brits person been warned they could beryllium slapped with a good of up to £1,000 and 'risk prosecution' for watching Netflix if they don't person a valid TV licence

Netflix viewers person been warned that they could look a good of £1,000 adjacent week amid TV licence hell.

While astir programs connected the streaming work don’t necessitate a TV licence to watch, the streaming platforms determination into showing unrecorded events means that Brits request to person a TV licence successful bid to ticker this benignant of content. The informing has been issued up of Jake Paul and erstwhile heavyweight champion Mike Tyson’s landmark combat that’s owed to aerial connected November 15.

In the UK, it’s amerciable to ticker immoderate unrecorded tv without a valid TV licence, which means watching the combat unrecorded connected Netflix is simply a usurpation of the law. Netflix has 171.1 cardinal UK subscribers, galore of whom whitethorn not person a tv licence if they usually lone ticker streamable contented and whitethorn beryllium unaware of the unrecorded contented rule.

According to TV Licensing: “You don’t request a TV licence to ticker connected request programmes connected Netflix”, with the aforesaid regularisation applying to astir streaming platforms, including Disney Plus and Amazon Prime Video. But arsenic soon arsenic immoderate unrecorded contented is broadcast, viewers request to person a valid TV licence successful place, oregon other hazard a perchance ample fine.

This regularisation covers each forms of unrecorded TV, whether being watched via accepted tv oregon via a streaming platform. Viewers wanting to ticker on-demand contented don’t request a TV licence to bask Netflix, and the aforesaid regularisation applies to each different streaming services, speech from BBC iPlayer wherever viewers indispensable person a TV licence to ticker some unrecorded and on-demand content.

A modular TV licence costs £169.50 a year, aft the interest was accrued by £10 connected April 1. You tin acceptable this up to beryllium paid successful 1 yearly outgo oregon you tin opt to wage monthly via instalments. If you neglect to wage your TV licensing measure and are caught by TV Licensing enforcement officers watching unrecorded TV without a licence, you could look a £1,000 good and prosecution.

The TV Licencing website says: “We could sojourn your code to corroborate if you request a TV Licence. If we find that you person been watching, signaling oregon streaming programmes illegally, you hazard prosecution and a good for not having a TV Licence of up to £1,000 positive immoderate ineligible costs and/or compensation you whitethorn beryllium ordered to pay.”

Netflix’s caller unrecorded streaming work has already shown a fig of fashionable events, including a scope of sports competitions and a Chris Rock drama show. With the streaming service’s enlargement into unrecorded contented acceptable to summation further, with the marque securing a declaration to amusement WWE events from 2025.