Bang on cue the slimy PR harlots at TV Licensing have just released their latest deluge of propaganda about the number of monochrome (black & white) TV licences still in force.
Only a couple of newspapers have so far taken the bait, but we'd expect many more to print TV Licensing's uncorroborable tripe over the coming days.
According to TV Licensing there are currently around 25.5m TV licences across the UK, of which only around 9,000 are for monochrome TV reception. The number of monochrome TV licences has fallen by around 2,000 over the last year or so.
Perhaps unsurprisingly the Outer Hebrides seems to be clinging onto black & white TV the longest, with some 0.16 % of households covered by a monochrome TV licence.
A TV licence is required for any property where equipment is installed or used for the purposes of receiving TV programmes. An annual colour TV licence currently costs £145.50, whereas a monochrome TV licence costs £49.
TV Licensing, via the Telegraph, suggests that Hebridean folk might be more willing to take a chance on buying a cheaper monochrome TV licence, even though they're watching in colour. They do this because they realise, quite correctly, that TV Licensing visits to the Western Isles are very few and far between.
Ian Logie Baird, grandson of TV inventor John and curator of the National Media Museum, told the Telegraph: "I guess there is a risk that people are pretending (to have only monochrome TV reception), but it's a matter of honesty. I think you have to look at cost.
"It’s less than half the price to have a black and white television, a bit like how vintage cars have preferential tax and insurance rates, compared to modern vehicles. While the number does decline every year, there is still a significant number of households."
Please let us know when you see this story appearing in your local newspaper.
The latest edition of our free ebook, TV Licensing Laid Bare, goes live on New Year's Day. Don't forget to snap up your copy!
4 comments:
As a sometime resident of the Isle of Man, the folks at the Isle of Man Ferry used to know when the TV Licensing scum were on the island, so word got about quite sharpish to be careful opening doors in the evening.
As I recall during the 1980's they came to the island for 10-days every year, usually in the spring before TT week, as they could work on the island for that length of time without needing a work permit.
I presume the same deal works in the more remote Scottish islands which are only accessible by ferry or short-hop planes. The arrival of TV licensing goons would soon get around.
You're a long-time reader, so you're probably aware that we have friends on the Island. Everytime TVL tips up we get a message saying how many there are, who they are and where they are staying.
A google search for "black and white tv" with the time set to "past week" finds dozens of places reporting this story now. Different people, exact same statement including a typo - the phrase "smart TVs3"
"Mark Whitehouse, spokesperson for TV Licensing in East Anglia, said: “It’s astounding that more than 800 households in total across East Anglia still watch on a black and white telly, especially now that over half of homes access TV content over the internet, on smart TVs3. Whether you have the latest 4K TV or a black and white set from the 1970s, however, if you are watching or recording live television, then you do need a TV licence.”
"Mark Whitehouse, spokesperson for TV Licensing in the East Midlands, said: "It's astounding that more than 320 households in total across the East Midlands still watch on a black and white telly. Especially now that over half of homes access TV content over the internet, on smart TVs3. Whether you have the latest 4K TV or a black and white set from the 1970s, if you are watching or recording live television, then you do need a TV licence."
"But a spokesperson for TV Licensing Wigan has reminded viewers that they need a licence, however dated the model. Said Jason Hill: “It’s astounding that more than 9,000 households still watch on a black and white telly, especially now that over half of homes access TV content over the internet, on smart TVs. Whether you have the latest 4K TV or a black and white set from the 1970s, if you are watching or recording live television, then you do need a TV licence.”
"Martin Dyan, spokesperson for TV Licensing, London and the South East said: “It’s astounding that more than 52 households in Southampton and more than 13 in Portsmouth still watch on a black and white telly, especially now that over half of homes access TV content over the internet, on smart TVs3. Whether you have the latest 4K TV or a black and white set from the 1970s, however, if you are watching or recording live television, then you do need a TV licence.”
etc etc
Yep. TV Licensing churnalism in action.
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