Did you know that if you have Amazon Prime Video you need a TV licence?
No, nor did we - but that's the latest bullshit being propagated by the dishonest underlings at TV Licensing.
That TV Licensing should shamelessly publish such a blatant lie comes as little surprise, given the organisation's inherent propensity towards dishonesty (see here for starters).
For the benefit of any recent arrivals, we'll repeat our usual mantra: Legally speaking, a TV licence is only required for those properties where equipment is installed or used to receive TV programmes at the same time as they are broadcast to other members of the general public. Additionally, from 1st September 2016, a TV licence is also required to watch or download BBC on-demand programmes via the iPlayer.
So where does Prime Video fit in? Well, it doesn't really. There is no legal requirement to have a TV licence to enjoy virtually all the content on Prime Video. The only time a TV licence would be required is in the event that a viewer was watching a live broadcast programme, such as a major sporting event, which are few and far between.
Just having Prime Video does not mean you must have a TV licence, despite TV Licensing's clear implication to the contrary. As long as a viewer sticks to on-demand content only, then legally they're in the clear - and they do not need to prove anything at all to TV Licensing.
TV Licensing's latest lie is published in its most recent caustic missive. We are grateful to our reader CJR for providing a copy.
The full wording of this particular threatogram, which is reproduced in the image above, goes as follows:
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You may be paying for one of these...
SKY / VIRGIN MEDIA / PRIME VIDEO / BT TV
...but you still need to buy a TV Licence.
Research shows that 1 in 4 unlicensed addresses have Sky TV.*
But paying for this, or any other service, doesn't change the law.
You need to be covered by a TV Licence to watch or record programmes live on any channel or device, stream programmes live through an online TV service, or download or watch BBC programmes on BBC iPlayer.
Get caught watching TV illegally and you could face prosecution** and a fine of up to £1,000. There is a 93%† conviction rate for licence fee evasion cases determined by the courts in England and Wales.
It doesn't matter what TV service you pay for.
If you're watching (or recording) ANY live TV, you need a licence.
Buy yours today at tvl.co.uk/pay
Or call 0300 790 6015.
To find out more about when you need a TV Licence, as well as your payment options, please turn over.
*Harris Research, 2020
**In Scotland, Scottish criminal law applies. A report will be sent to the Procurator Fiscal, who will decide on prosecution.
†Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly, December 2019 - Ministry of Justice.
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When you've had a bit of practice, as it's fair to say we have, it is easy to read between the intimidatory bullshit TV Licensing prints in its threatograms.
"Research shows that 1 in 4 unlicensed addresses have Sky TV" - although TV Licensing itself regularly spouts the statistic that only around 1 in 5 "No Licence Needed" properties are found to actually need a TV licence. This is a classic example of TV Licensing selectively quoting figures for maximum impact.
"Get caught watching TV illegally and you could face prosecution" - but you are very unlikely to. It is TV Licensing policy not to routinely prosecute anyone caught for the first time.
"A fine of up to £1,000" - is the theoretically maximum in England and Wales, but the court never imposes a fine anywhere near that value. The average fine, £172, is fractionally more than the actual TV licence fee.
"93 percent conviction rate for licence fee evasion causes determined by the courts in England and Wales" - but remember that not every case is actually going to end up before the court. We have previously asked the BBC to justify this wholly implausible conviction rate and it spectacularly failed to do so. You can read more on the BBC's figure fudging in our earlier article.
You will find a lot more information on our Quick Guide page, which we would encourage you to read and share with your friends.
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3 comments:
The only thing you need a licence for with Amazon prime is the live football and their add-on channels that cost £7.99 per month. I don't subscribe to the BBC, Amazon Prime or their add-on channels, Disney or any other live as shown content.
When I had Prime video the football was watched the next day without me trying to find the results first.
With the Bilsdale TV transmitter fire and approximately 500,000 people unable to enjoy their normal TV service I expect TVL to be offering licence refunds to those customers affected by this incident.
I wouldn't get your hopes up too much about that!
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