A standard UK TV licence currently costs £180 a year for a colour television and £60.50 for a black-and-white set. However, households that do not watch or record live television and do not use BBC iPlayer may be able to declare that they do not need a licence.
TV Licensing allows people to submit a “No Licence Needed” declaration through an online questionnaire about their viewing habits.
Applicants are asked whether anyone in the household:
- watches television programmes live on any channel;
- watches live television through services such as Sky, Virgin Media, Freeview or BT;
- streams live television through platforms including ITVX, Prime Video, YouTube or Sky Go;
- watches foreign television channels live;
- uses BBC iPlayer; or
- records live television programmes.
Households that answer no to all live television questions and confirm that they never use BBC iPlayer or record television should receive a message stating that, based on their answers, they do not appear to need a TV licence.
However, submitting a declaration does not prevent TV Licensing from making enquiries or visiting the property. Anyone found watching, recording or streaming programmes without the required licence could face prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000, alongside legal costs and possible compensation.
Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime and YouTube
A TV licence is generally not required to watch on-demand programmes through services such as Netflix, Disney+ or Amazon Prime Video.
However, a licence may be required when watching television programmes live through a streaming service.
For example, watching an on-demand film or series on Amazon Prime does not require a licence, but watching a television broadcast live through the platform may do so.
The same distinction applies to YouTube. User-generated videos, clips and livestreams that are not television broadcasts generally do not require a licence. However, watching a television programme live on YouTube at the same time it is being broadcast elsewhere requires a licence.
BBC iPlayer is treated differently. A TV licence is required to watch or download BBC programmes through iPlayer, whether they are live or on demand.
The key test is therefore not whether a household owns a television, but how television content is watched.
