We have previously mused about the abysmal quality of TV Licensing research.
To be blunt, we are of the opinion that TV Licensing's PR harlots invent statistics as a means of securing newspaper column inches for their real message - "get a TV licence, or we'll send the boys around". There is certainly no way at all that any of TV Licensing's statistics can be independently verified, plus we know that honesty is often an alien concept to the BBC's revenue generation bullies.
TV Licensing's latest media offensive focuses on the number of times people have tweeted "worth the licence fee" about various BBC programmes.
According to TV Licensing there were around 5,000 tweets including the words "worth the licence fee", presumably in the last year. Just like a lot of BBC output, this latest story is a repeat of one aired earlier.
TV Licensing hasn't provided any methodology to support its findings, so we don't know how they measured the number of "worth the licence fee" tweets they are laying claim to. Similarly we don't know how many "worth the licence fee" tweets were immediately preceded by the word "not".
Even if we accept TV Licensing's claim that there were 5,000 positive tweets about the TV licence fee, that number really is insignificant compared to the number of TV licences in force (just under 26 million). It would be far outweighed by the number of people tweeting critical comments about TV Licensing and the BBC.
TV Licensing PR harlot Richard Chapman said: "This shows just how much viewers value BBC programmes - whether it’s magic moments on Planet Earth II or the sparkle of Strictly.
"While lots of people tweet as they watch the programme live, there are also plenty who catch up later, so it’s important to remember that you now need a TV licence even if you’re watching BBC programmes on iPlayer."
It's equally important to remember that there are many circumstances when a TV licence is not legally required.
A TV licence is not legally needed to:
- Watch or download any on-demand programmes other than those provided by the BBC. There is no need for a TV licence to watch or download on-demand programmes on the ITV Hub, All 4, My5 (the on-demand service, not the TV channel), Sky Go, Netflix, Amazon Prime etc.
- Watch or download on-demand content on video sharing sites like YouTube, Dailymotion, Vimeo etc.
- Use a TV set to watch pre-recorded DVDs.
- Use a TV set as a monitor for video games, CCTV etc.
- Use a TV set to view electronic files (e.g. watch a photo slideshow).
- Listen to or download radio programmes, including those provided by the BBC. Technically speaking, no licence is needed to use a TV set to listen to radio programmes (e.g. listening to a radio station using Freeview). Anyone choosing to do so is advised to read our earlier post on the subject.
If you've found this article useful please consider using our Amazon link for snapping up some end of year bargains or downloading our free ebook.
3 comments:
If I want to watch something on the BBC I will go to the pub or some place showing it, buy half a pint then leave after it's over. Don't you need the Arial connected to listen to radio through a TV? That could be a bit of a catch 22 if they turn up with a warrant and you are listening to the radio through a TV.
This is truly pathetic marketing. Statistics can often obfuscate reality but in this instance even someone with key stage 1 maths and English should spot the glaring folly of their quote choice and numbers.
It would, however, be a struggle for Diane Abbott to get her immense porky head around the numbers.
Post a Comment