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The TV Licence


Fierce_LiNk

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After a busy day at work yesterday, I thought I'd stick on a bit of ITV and watch our Champions League Match against PSV. Strangely, it wasn't being aired. Ok, I guess I'll stream that on the laptop and watch City/Juventus on the telly. No...ok. Maybe it'll be Arsenal or Chelsea tomorrow.

 

Apparently, no. Somehow I missed all of this, but ITV have lost the rights to the Champions League and I'd have to get BT Sport to watch this.

 

Wtffff? It's actually pathetic how little I use my television to actually watch tv. I play games, I stream using Netflix or I watch a film. So...why exactly should I be paying over a hundred pounds a year for this TV Licence? It's a crock of shit.

 

So, basically, to watch the football...tv is now useless unless I have BT Sport and possibly Sky on top of that. Fucking wonderful.

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ITV have lost the rights to the Champions League and I'd have to get BT Sport to watch this.

You mean you've missed all the shitty BT adverts about it moving?

 

Either way, the license fee pays for the BBC shizzle, not ITV, they have delightful adverts and all their gameshows now have their prizes donated by companies.

 

Also, football is wank.

 

 

That is all. :blank:

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Yeah, BT won the rights for Champions League about 2 years ago, old news! Paying at least double what ITV/Sky were paying. The next auction for rights is in the next year I believe, so we'll find out where it'll be in 3 years time in the not too distant future!

 

They do have a game tonight though on their Freeview channel tonight - Barca v Roma I believe.

 

_______________________________________________________________

 

I'm a big believer in the licence fee. I love the BBC and it's sad to see the tories dismantling it piece by piece by freezing the fee and giving the BBC more and more things to pay for that should be under the government's responsibility, not the BBC's.

 

That said, I'm angry at them for ignoring public opinion in their destruction of BBC Three.

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I'm a big believer in the licence fee. I love the BBC and it's sad to see the tories dismantling it piece by piece by freezing the fee and giving the BBC more and more things to pay for that should be under the government's responsibility, not the BBC's.

 

That said, I'm angry at them for ignoring public opinion in their destruction of BBC Three.

 

I don't mind the licence fee either, so long as it's spent wisely. Hearing Graham Norton/Jonathan Ross/Whoever is being paid several million displeases me.

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ITV have highlights tonight.

 

I don't understand the FA and UEFA, they say they want kids involved in the game and all that but put the games on premium subscription channels which makes them less accessible. Which is also bad for the sponsors as the reach of their brands is subsequently limited.

 

The idea that competition to Sky from BT will benefit the consumer is flawed too, because the rights are split. In order to watch all of it you need both networks, so the consumer actually has to pay more. It's not like Sky have reduced their prices now they have less football content.

 

If they at least put it all in one place at the start of the season people could sign up to which ever broadcaster for a year, then switch if necessary.

 

Or why not sell the rights to everyone who wants them instead of exclusivity? Then we'd have real competition.

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They follow the classic principle of capitalism - competition is good. Except for the consumer, as prices just rise, and the rich get richer, while the viewer needs multiple subscriptions. With the Premier League, I believe it was the EU who ruled that one broadcaster couldn't own all the rights, hence the games being split, first with Setanta, then ESPN, and now BT.

 

They sell them exclusively because if every TV network could get them, they wouldn't be worth much money. Money talks.

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They sell them exclusively because if every TV network could get them, they wouldn't be worth much money. Money talks.

 

I realise they couldn't sell them for as much, but they could sell them to multiple broadcasters to make up the difference, who wouldn't buy Premier League and Champions League football rights at an affordable price?

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You mean you've missed all the shitty BT adverts about it moving?

 

I missed them because...I don't watch much TV.

 

I heard it was Ashley's fault.

 

Ashley-Olsen-photoshoot-ashley-olsen-30856070-1164-1435.jpg

 

Hnnnnnggg, how old is she there? Just so I can hnnnngggg without being on dat paedo-time.

 

ITV have highlights tonight.

 

I don't understand the FA and UEFA, they say they want kids involved in the game and all that but put the games on premium subscription channels which makes them less accessible.

 

Completely agree with this. I went into work today and not a single person had seen the United game yesterday. I don't think a lot of kids watch that much football because Match of the Day will be on past their bedtime and, unless they've got BT/Sky, nothing is televised anymore.

 

People are being priced out of the game. If they're not priced out of match tickets, they're priced out of BT/Sky.

 

As for the BBC tax, it's a big gripe of mine. Aside from Match of the Day, I barely touch any of the BBC channels. I don't like the wool that they try to pull over people's eyes when they claim not to do advertisements when they clearly advertise their own programs. It's nothing different to what Spotify do with their free version, where they play adverts after every two or three songs. It's exactly the same. If you're paying the licence fee, the scheduling should be back to back without any bullshit adverts full stop. The only time I think they really excel themselves is during Wimbledon or when there's a football/sporting tournament. In terms of drama and entertainment, I don't rate it at all.

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I don't like the wool that they try to pull over people's eyes when they claim not to do advertisements when they clearly advertise their own programs.

When people say they don't do advertisements, they obviously mean products, there's a difference between learning about a couple of future programmes in under 30 seconds compared to 3 minutes plus of DFS sales, Game of War and learning BT Sport is sucking all the football from everywhere adverts.

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I haven't paid for a TV license for years. I have TV through Virgin Media only because it was cheaper with it than without, the cable box is packed away in the attic somewhere. Being entirely uninterested in sports except during really big competitions (olympics etc), I can get by just fine with Netflix.

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Whilst this took a turn I wasn't expecting - I don't mind the TV license. I don't use too much of the BBC stuff but freeview is quite handy for me for stuff in the background and my tv can record to a USB stick(where would I be without The Bill every day eh!) - for the price for what you get it isn't too bad; but I've never understood why you need it if you aren't using live BBC services given it's supposedly to pay for the BBC.

 

As for sports etc...I've heard that Kodi can get some pretty cool plugins and streams...

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I find it absolutely fucking absurd the Premier League, the most popular league in the world, doesn't show a single fucking match on terrestrial TV in the country it is based in.

 

I stopped following football because it's just so hard to actually watch a match. Highlights aren't good enough for an interest you are meant to feel passionate about.

 

I actually avoid thinking about it because it makes me so angry.

 

As for the Champions League...it was only a matter of time.

 

Fuck that.

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I stopped following football because it's just so hard to actually watch a match. Highlights aren't good enough for an interest you are meant to feel passionate about.

 

I've never really considered myself a follower of football. I love playing football - I play 3 times a week, both 5 a side and 11 a side - and I love watching football - at one point I was a Leeds season ticket holder - but I still wouldn't say that I follow it. "Following" football now seems to be more about the drama than the sport; people who support teams they've never actually been to see play, more interested chatting about the latest transfer rumours than actually going to.see a game. For me football is a sport, for many people it's a soap opera.

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Kind of an arbitrary distinction.

 

I make the distinction because I have no interest in discussion the latest top four news with a bunch of colleagues who've never actually seen a match in the flesh.

 

But the wider point that I was meant to be making is that that is what football has become. It's a drama series, and that's where the money comes from. Man Utd didn't become as rich as they are because they have a loyal fan base of season ticket holders, they became so rich because many millions of people around the world, who have never been in the same post code as Old Trafford, are clamouring to buy the latest Utd shirt and merchandise (which in turn raises the value of sponsorship deals). The business of football is less about playing or watching the game, and more about following it.

Edited by MoogleViper
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but I've never understood why you need it if you aren't using live BBC services given it's supposedly to pay for the BBC

 

I imagine some of it goes to maintaining the broadcast hardware that is shared by all the channels.

 

It'll probably be irrelevant eventually, as more and more services come over the internet. I really can't see a future for scheduled TV, what with iPlayer and other services allowing you to watch things whenever you want.

 

Personally, I never watch TV any more. All of my passive entertainment comes from YouTube, Netflix or Blurays. We're seriously considering declaring our TVs as display devices only and not paying the licence, as we almost certainly won't use the service. I'm just not sure its worth the hassle.

Edited by Goafer
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I imagine some of it goes to maintaining the broadcast hardware that is shared by all the channels.

 

That might be part of it, plus they know if they gave people the choice some people would just do without the BBC, so they make it compulsory to acquire an much funding as possible. Thing is if the cost was just mixed in with people's general taxation they probably wouldn't mind as much, but having a separate licence fee notice it more.

 

I'm not sure about the way it's funded, the concept of a tv licence seems silly, but I do like the idea of at least one impartial broadcaster that isn't dancing to the tune of commercial influences.

 

But I would question the size of the BBC, for example I'm not sure the BBC needs to be responsible for maintaining so many local radio stations, surely the private sector can provide local radio content.

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The TV licence annoys me too. Why do I need a licence to watch non-BBC TV? Why do all the channels not get funding from it?

 

I signed up with BT Internet when I moved flats specifically so I would get BT Sport for the Champions League. It's a great deal when you get it as part of your internet package (officially free of charge, but obviously built in).

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