Do I need a TV license if I only use "BT Sports Monthly Pass" on my laptop / phone intermittently?

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On_The_Edge
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Joined: Sat Jan 15, 2022 1:09 am

Hi all. I sometimes watch BT sport live football events, like Champions League matches, from BT website https://www.bt.com/sport on my laptop or my phone . I only watch these for live trading. I have a "BT Sport Monthly Pass".

This is pay per month subscription, and costs £29.99 per month, with option to cancel anytime, giving access to sport on BT Sport 1,2,3 and BT Sport ESPN.

I say "sometimes" because I subscribe / unsubscribe intermittently. So in practise, I can start my subscription for 2 months, then cancel it, and then renew it 3 months later for another 1 month, cancel again...Something like this. I tend to avoid trading such tournaments usually, but do get involved from time to time.

I never watch TV or watch any other live streaming programmes on any device.

So do I legally need a TV license for this or not?

Thanks in advance.
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MemphisFlash
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Location: Leicester

any event that is live, news, sports, etc that is broadcast by the BBC requires a license. Doesn't matter what device you watch it on..
weemac
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Who broadcasts it make no difference. You need a license.

BTW, I've seen broadband offers for about £30 a month which include an 'add-on', one of which can be BT Sport.
On_The_Edge
Posts: 146
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weemac wrote:
Wed Apr 19, 2023 3:28 pm
Who broadcasts it make no difference. You need a license.

BTW, I've seen broadband offers for about £30 a month which include an 'add-on', one of which can be BT Sport.
So does one need a TV license to view Betfair or B365 live streams too?
weemac
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On_The_Edge wrote:
Thu Apr 27, 2023 3:42 pm
weemac wrote:
Wed Apr 19, 2023 3:28 pm
Who broadcasts it make no difference. You need a license.

BTW, I've seen broadband offers for about £30 a month which include an 'add-on', one of which can be BT Sport.
So does one need a TV license to view Betfair or B365 live streams too?
No.
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Derek27
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Location: UK

weemac wrote:
Thu Apr 27, 2023 5:42 pm
On_The_Edge wrote:
Thu Apr 27, 2023 3:42 pm
weemac wrote:
Wed Apr 19, 2023 3:28 pm
Who broadcasts it make no difference. You need a license.

BTW, I've seen broadband offers for about £30 a month which include an 'add-on', one of which can be BT Sport.
So does one need a TV license to view Betfair or B365 live streams too?
No.
I think you do. You need a licence to watch live sport on Amazon Prime Video so I can't see what would be different to watching BLV or anything live on YouTube.
Emmson
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Derek27 wrote:
Thu Apr 27, 2023 6:54 pm
weemac wrote:
Thu Apr 27, 2023 5:42 pm
On_The_Edge wrote:
Thu Apr 27, 2023 3:42 pm


So does one need a TV license to view Betfair or B365 live streams too?
No.
I think you do. You need a licence to watch live sport on Amazon Prime Video so I can't see what would be different to watching BLV or anything live on YouTube.
Apparently if you watch a Mongolian TV stream that is "live" you need a tv license but how can anyone prove you watched it?

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ ... icence-fee

Those bookie streams are nominally live but they are not, as I've been bitching about on here often the delays that were always in place have been getting longer over time.

OFF TOPIC

ASK JACK was a very useful resource on the Guardian, the Jack in question unfortunately died and was never replaced CONTEMPTIBLE decision by the Guardian that.
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Derek27
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Location: UK

The best thing to do is ask Betfair Live Chat. They should know. :lol: :lol:
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Euler
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I always though it was device based, unless it's changed since I last checked.

I.e. the license was per household that could receive terrestial TV.

Remember the TV detector vans?
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Derek27
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Euler wrote:
Thu Apr 27, 2023 9:06 pm
I always though it was device based, unless it's changed since I last checked.

I.e. the license was per household that could receive terrestial TV.

Remember the TV detector vans?
It's as complex as most legislation, the only difference is that it's so unimportant nobody keeps up to date with it.

Laptops are devices. My understanding is if you watch TV on your laptop at home you need a licence. If you keep your laptop at home but only watch TV on it outside of your house and beyond the perimeter of your garden you don't, as licenses are licenced to the premises, not individuals.

I'd guess if you watch BLV at home without a licence you're probably breaking the law, but if you were somehow caught and prosecuted in a criminal court, I doubt even the judge would know without some legal research or interpretation of the law so he should at least be lenient with you. :)
weemac
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From 'Which Magazine': The TV licence website states: 'You don't need a TV Licence if you only ever watch on-demand programmes on any TV service apart from BBC iPlayer'.

I always thought BLV counted as on-demand, since it doesn't run continuously as a TV channel would; the user has to 'demand' each race separately. Maybe that's why Betfair run it that way.

Of course, it is live, so maybe a license is needed after all.
weemac
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This is a pretty comprehensive article which would imply watching BLV needs a license:

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ ... icence-fee
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Derek27
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Just demonstrates how fascial our laws are and how little thought is put into them. I think it's still a criminal offence to not have a TV licence if you need one (there was talk about reducing it to a civil offence), punishable by a maximum £1000 fine or 3 months in prison, yet since the popularity of the internet which occurred 20 years ago, instead of overhauling the legislation they just did the usual bodge-job leaving people breaking the law without realising.

I hope people who pay for their licence realise they're paying the cost of people driving around mindlessly in white vans with aerials and satellite dishes on the roof doing nothing but wasting fuel, endless adverts and millions of letters posted to every licenceless household in the country every month, 99.9% of which are either unoccupied, don't need a licence or legally need a licence but don't give a fuck, enforcement officers who used to knock on my door only to be told to fuck off, etc. :lol:
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Euler
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I thought it had been de-criminalised and made a civil matter anyhow. So there is no way to enforce it reasonably?
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