Here’s how the new BBC licence fee changes affect you

Some big licence fee rules have come into affect this September.

Thanks to new TV Licensing rules, as of 1 September, viewers hoping to use BBC iPlayer must be covered by a TV Licence, regardless of whether they view programmes on a computer, mobile or games console. The move marks an end of the days crafty students could use their laptops to catch up on Bake Off. The organisation TV Licensing also stress a license will be needed if you access iPlayer through another service provider, such as Freeview, Freesat, YouView Sky, Virgin Media, BT Vision, Apple or Roku. As an additional note of interest, a licence is not needed to view items via other catch-up curators, such as ITV Hub, All 4 and Demand 5. Watching BBC shows such as Louis Theroux or Doctor Who via Netflix or Amazon Prime does not require the licence fee also. "As of 1 September 2016, a change in the law means you need to be covered by a TV licence to download or watch BBC programmes on demand - including catchup TV - on BBC iPlayer," a TV Licence spokesperson said making the announcement earlier this year. The licence fee allows the BBC’s UK services to remain free of adverts and independent of shareholder and political interest. An advisory note can now be found on the iPlayer website, gently informing users of the new change. Unlicensed premises that use the streaming service are also being sent mail to inform them to buy the proper papers within the next month. At the time of writing, a TV Licence costs £145.50 a year and is available for purchase via the TV Licensing website. It is important to remember that one licence fee covers a household, rather than an individual. Those aged 75 and over are exempt from paying the fee. It is unclear exactly how the new rules will be enforced. A TV Licensing spokesperson said: "We are not going to use mass surveillance techniques, we are not going to ask internet providers for IP addresses, and in fact, we will simply use existing enforcement processes and techniques which we believe to be adequate and appropriate. "Our current procedures enable us to catch those watching on devices other than televisions." Read more...