My first term at university was characterized by Thursdays spent curled up in bed with copious amounts of tea and digestives, nursing a hangover and catching up on the Great British Bake Off from the night before. If this sounds a familiar picture to you there’s some bad news - from 1st September new rules mean you’ll need a TV license to use the BBC’s catch up service.
The change comes as the BBC try to plug the £283 million hole (ouch!) left by license fee evaders. Previously, you needed a TV license only to watch live streaming, but the new rule means you could be fined £1000 for using any of the iPlayer TV services. That includes using iPlayer through Sky, Apple TV or Freeview. Bad news for Bake Off bingers.
Concerns have been raised over how the BBC plans to enforce the new law, with some worrying that the corporation will have the power to poke about in your internet history.
David McClelland, who appears on shit-busting programme Watchdog, told the Daily Mail that ‘an effective system would require officials to monitor domestic internet use,’ though the BBC deny any future snooping plans. The Times reports that mobile and internet providers Virgin Media, O2, EE and BT have this weekend said ‘they will hand over customer details only if they were legally required to do so’, so the BBC could face an uphill battle if they do fancy getting their hands on your deets.
Some are dismissing the new rules as a mere PR stunt to frighten us all into confessing our unlicensed sins. Speaking to the Times, David Elstein (former head honcho at Channel 5) said the law was 'all a PR stunt designed to play on people’s sense of honesty and fair play.'
Whatever the case, it sounds like a good excuse to binge watch a load of TV, while you still can…
Like this? You may also be interested in:
Who Is Val From Bake Off? Probably The Greatest Person That's Ever Been On Your TV
Mice, Vomit And Good Cheer. What It's Like To Spend The Whole Weekend On London's Night Tube
**Follow Polly on Twitter **@pollyriggs96
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.