The TV Licence: Loopholes and evasion

That's true. But as I'm sure you are aware you can (albeit not very easily) get entire video and DVD playback devices with no TV tuner. I'm sure that if you have an actual TV, or a VCR with a tuner, then you'd need a licence.


I think this will only increase the chance of detection. If you have no licence at all, they may not know. But if you have a B/W licence, they now have your name and address and your signed legal declaration that you are going to comply with the terms of the B/W licence. But these days, who honestly has a B/W licence? That would need to be a person with only B/W television receivers (which afaik are now only available new in the form of small 4/5" battery powered sets), no form of multichannel TV whatsoever, and no VCR. How many people does that apply too these days? It's surely more likely that they will come out to check that you are complying with the terms of your licence.

You do not need a TV licence to own a TV with a tuner. You also do not need a tv licence to use the TV for watching videos, DVDs and playing console games.

A TV licencing enquiry officer has to have evidence that you are actually watching broadcast channels - that can come from them either seeying you watching the TV, or from detection. Most officers don't carry such detection equipment, although it does exist. This equipment can detect which channel the TV is tuner to, as well as the type of TV, i.e Colour or B&W.

What about if you had several TV's on at the same time? one black and white and one colour, the colour tv of course being used for your "monitor"?

The detection equipment can identify that a colour TV is in use and is tuned to particular channel. So it makes no difference how many black and white and colour TV's you have in operation and what they are all being used for at any given time.

As mentioned however, most of the officers don't actually cary detection equipment. If someone is giving them a hard time however, say for not letting them into their property, they often will go back a few weeks later with the equipment.

If you wish to evade paying for a tv licence - don't work for the BBC as it is a sackable offence if you have a tv but no licence!

Surely that is only the case if the employee operates a television to receive broadcasts where a license is required to do such a thing.

Thus

1) an employee of the BBC could be in the UK and have a tv which is not used to receive broadcasts and thus does not need a license

2) an employee of the BBC operates a tv without a license in a state which does not require a license (eg Canada, USA, The Netherlands, Luxemburg, Vlaanderen, Brussels to name a few).