United Kingdom
A television license is required to receive any live television transmission in the United Kingdom, whether it is received via terrestrial, satellite, cable or the internet. It is not, however, required for those possessing a TV set, for the purpose of watching pre-recorded content, or for use as a monitor for video games or computers.
It is set annually by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with the BBC responsible for collecting payment. As it is classified in law as a tax,[46] evasion is a criminal offence.
The current annual cost for is £145.50 (approximately €164) for a colour licence and £49.00 (approximately €55) for monochrome.[47] Discounted, free or government-paid licences are available to viewers over 75, blind people and those in residential care.
The licence covers multiple receivers in a 'household', with separately rented or leased rooms and apartments being considered as individual households.[48]
The licence is almost entirely used to fund the BBC's domestic radio, television and internet services, including its Welsh language programming aired on S4C — a public service broadcaster which serves welsh speakers, run independently from the BBC. The money received from the fee represents approximately 75% of the cost of these services with most of the remainder coming from the profits of BBC Worldwide — a commercial wing of the corporation which sells programmes and runs stations overseas (such as BBC World News), as well as other business allied to broadcasting such as publishing.[49] The BBC also receives some funding from the Scottish Government via MG Alba to finance the BBC Alba television service in Scotland.
The BBC also receives a direct government grant from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to fund television and radio services broadcast to other countries such as the BBC World Service radio and BBC Arabic Television. These services run on a non-profit, non-commercial basis distinct from other BBC 'branded' overseas services provided by the commercial BBC Worldwide (see above). Hence, neither the World Service nor the commercial BBC services receive any UK licence money.
Other public service broadcasters not directly funded by the fee include Channel 4; funded through advertising, and S4C; funded through a combination of direct grant from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, advertising and programming provided free of charge by the BBC (see above). These broadcasters are much smaller in terms of services provided or levels of spending than the BBC.
A small portion of the licence fee is used by the BBC to enforce payment, as well as funding Digital UK, a body established to assist in the process of Digital Switchover and a direct payment to Channel 4, to assist in its digital switchover.[50]
A similar licence, mandated by the 1904 Wireless Telegraphy Act, existed for radio, but was abolished in 1971.
