This is quite well known—at least to people who think about such matters. Strangely, it seems to have been missed by the majority of HN.
It's a state sponsored news agency: the BBC are the recipients of a "TV tax" (licence fee, if one watches TV).
You have to pay the licence fee even if you never watch any BBC broadcast material. A person who only ever watches ITV would have to pay the licence fee.
And non-payment of the licence fee was a criminal offence with fines, and non-payment of the fine sent many people to prison.
It feels like a tax.
[1] also tampons and sanitary towels, which probably don't feel like a luxury purchase.
I was informed by a TV license "officer" that provided you detune BBC channels you can still watch commercial channels. In the same way that I am permitted to listen to BBC radio channels (for which no license is required) via a Sky box.
TV licensing have to prove that you're watching on-air BBC broadcasts.
http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/topics/Li...
Best known one is having a car with a live video feed (e.g. a reverse camera to the dashboard) -first ones were Range Rovers and other luxury cars but these features are now arriving within more "bread and butter" cars as well.
Still better than in Germany where they recently turned it into a per-household tax to be paid even if you don't watch any TV / broadcast at all.
This isn't true.
You can quite happily watch iPlayer or 4OD or Netflix and not be liable to pay the license fee as long as what you're watching isn't live or being broadcast at that very moment.
I used to have a TV license and cancelled it. When they asked why I was cancelling, I said that I consumed my entertainment through non-live streaming services and they were happy. That was at the end of last year and I haven't heard anything since.
Do you drive a modern car, do you have surveillance cameras at your property / your offices? - Bang you have to have a TV license in the UK even if you don't watch any TV.
Every year thousands of people in the UK are pulled to court / persuaded to pay thousands of £s to settle enforcement cases against them (or even go to prison) because they only look at half of the rules.
Whilst true that in Section 9 (Part 3) of 2004 No. 692 ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS BROADCASTING The Communications (Television Licensing) Regulations 2004[0] a 'television receiver' is defined as:
any apparatus installed or used for the purpose of receiving (whether by means of wireless telegraphy or otherwise) any television programme service, whether or not it is installed or used for any other purpose.
It an offence to
* install or use a television receiver or
* possess or have control of a television receiver with the intent to install or use it or
* possess or have control of a television receiver and know or have reasonable grounds for believing that another person intends to install or use it without a valid TV Licence issued under the Communications Act.
This has been confirmed many times and directly by the BBC in this FOI request[2]
[0] http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2004/692/pdfs/uksi_200406...
[1] http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2003/21/part/4
[2] https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/laws_on_tv_license
It basically applies to any TV being watched as it is being broadcast at the time so you are liable to pay anything if you only watch shows after they have been aired.
Myself I tend to watch Netflix, some iPlayer and 4OD stuff and I do not have to pay anything.
That doesn't stop them sending letters once in a while to check though.
The BBC is the only recipient of TV license fees in the UK - of course after plenty of cost created on the way between the consumer / license payer to the BBC / payee.
BTW the BBC is also the TV licensing authority in the UK and is authorised by the government via the Communications Act 2003 to collect and enforce the TV license fee. One of the companies in the Capita conglomerate has been "entrusted" by the BBC / the government to collect the TV licensing fees.
A lengthy correspondence with them led them to conclude that because my TV was not connected to a TV aerial or cable, and I only used it to watch Netflix and iPlayer from my computer, I did not in fact need a TV license.
I've been through this dance with them three or four times.
Has this changed in the last 2 years?
Previously, when I looked, the BBC stated that they received a substantial sum from direct taxation in addition to the license fee. On that basis you pay in part and the BBC is funded [partially] by tax payers. IIRC it amounted to about 5% of the take from license fee payers.
Ah, decided to track it down ... http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/annualreport/pdf/2014-15/BBC-FS-2..., p.34 - "grant-in-aid" funding £243.6 Million up to March 2015 (6.5% of the license fee income).
However it looks like this has stopped in 2015:
"Grants from Government departments For the year ended 31 March 2014, the BBC World Service received Grant-in-Aid from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office. Previously, BBC Monitoring also received a grant from the Cabinet Office. These grants have been drawn down to meet estimated expenditure in the year but unspent amounts do not have to be repaid, as long as they fall within predetermined limits. The grants are recognised as income in the financial year that they relate to."
Very minor nitpick: you should say "consume live broadcast TV" as blind people don't watch but still have to pay.