You’ll now have to pay the licence fee even to watch iPlayer

Watching TV programmes through online catch-up services will be illegal unless you've paid the licence fee, the government has just announced.

Culture Secretary John Whittingdale said in the House of Commons today that he will be closing off the loophole that meant you weren't breaking the law by not paying the licence fee if you watched everything online rather than on a TV set. https://twitter.com/BBCBreaking/status/730713778052964353 The move comes as part of a new Royal Charter for the BBC, which is being debated in parliament. The aim of the iPlayer change is to help the BBC make up millions of pounds in revenue that was lost through the legal loophole. https://twitter.com/_neive/status/730718541788352512 The Culture Secretary said:

"There will be pilots of a more flexible payment system to benefit those on lower incomes and make it fairer for everyone. At the moment people have to pay for the first year in only six months, meaning six much higher monthly payments. And we will take forward many of the recommendations from David Perry QC’s review to make the process of investigating and prosecuting licence fee evasion more effective and fair."

https://twitter.com/brijoyce/status/730713433784647681 This suggestion by one Twitter user might be a goer in the future: https://twitter.com/Wriggy/status/730710262618165248 Whittingdale also announced that he would unfreeze the licence fee:

"The licence fee has been frozen at £145.50 since 2010. We will end this freeze, and will increase the licence fee in line with inflation to 2021-22, at which point there will be a new settlement. In line with the other reforms to funding announced last July, this means that the BBC will have a flat-cash settlement to 2021-22."

The BBC's highest paid stars will also have to declare their earnings as part of the new Charter.