Why do we have to pay a BBC licence fee?

Question

I have Sky TV, I pay for Sky TV and I only watch Sky TV. Could somebody please therefore tell me how it can be possibly be justified and fair that I pay the BBC about £120 per year as a licence fee?

Why can we not have a system where you can 'opt out' and not receive any BBC channels, better still why can't we just scrap the licence altogether?

Many thanks

Answer 1

The licence fee is set by the Government and creates a means of funding for BBC channels, station and services. Unlike commercial broadcasters the BBC receives no money through advertising or sponsorship.

Arguable the licence fee provides good value for money but there will always be debates as to weather it is a useful thing to create cash in today’s media environment.

You can find more information here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/licencefee/

Hope this helps,

Ross

Answer 2

I too have Sky and watch it in preference to the BBC schedules but still pay my BBC Tax (because they'd fine or jail me if I didin't) but I really do think that it's about time the BBC began to recieve funding from advertising - oh hang on, they do that already - how many adverts are there in the Radio Times or other publications from this mammoth state owned corporation? If they are willing to use advertising as a means to support income, why can't they use it (like all other TV stations) to fully fund their services?
I'll tell you why - because they can't be bothered to compete whilst the government still collects their income from us. I'm afraid the BBC has missed the boat. What about those people who cant recieve the digital channels from the BBC - why should they pay the full licence fee?
It's a mammoth - and as such should be buried in the ice.

Answer 3

I hate the license and dont see why I should pay for it as I dont even watch TV that often and when I do its sky. The whole dont get money for advertising is so clouded too, next time you watch an episode of (shudders) Eastenders check out the papers they read wonder why everyones reading 'the sun' but no other paper is clear enough to make out...hmmmmmm. Other programmes on BBC do these sort of subliminal advertising to. The BBC for years has made money from advertising sneakily like this.

Answer 4

There are no adverts on the BBC and it is a sort of public service. You don't pay less taxes If you don't go to public hospitals, state school, or use any other service provided by the government. If people could just 'opt out', there wouldn't be a BBC as we know it.

Answer 5

Because everyone would start opting out and the BBC wouldn't be able to survive. This would force the BBC to be even more commercial and compete for audiences.

I think its good that we have the licence fee, but I think its bad that the BBC take such ridiculous liberties with it. Apparently the BBC isn't supposed to advertise - yet we have to sit through 2 or 3 minutes of the BBC advertising itself between each programme. This is to say nothing of the dire, predictable dross that it puts out and the aspects of social engineering that embody many of its programmes.

Two recent examples of the BBC squandering your money:

Paying £60,000 for a piece of "art" by Tracey Emin of a bird on a stick.

Paying £1.2m to replace those ridiculous vignettes with even more ridiculous ones.

And one constant example of the BBC squandering your money:

BBC3.

Answer 6

Yep I think we should be able to opt out if we want to. I understand that our TV is capable of getting the BBC channels, so how do they know we dont watch them?
But they should be able to do something to the TV, or you can buy a TV, that you cant watch BBC on.

Answer 7

because the bbc doesn't have advertising revenue and so the corporation and the government get their money through making people pay to watch the bbc channels. yes it is stupid and unfair and plus, most of their programmes these days are crap anyway.

it should be made voluntary for us to not having to watch them.
i'd say scrap the licence fee and put commercials on to gain extra profit.

Answer 8

It's because the BBC do not have adverts.
If we were to get rid of the licence fee then the BBC would show adverts to help fund their channels.

Answer 9

I agree i hate being stung for the tv licence as i only watch Sky (when i watch tv ) i very rarely watch tv anymore and my kids are always either watching nickelodeon or disney ! It all boils down to greed ...

Answer 10

Without paying the license fee the BBC would die. So too would our British culture and way of life. Do you really want Rupert Murdock and worse telling you how it is? Wake up!!!