Telly watching Brits have been warned they could be slapped with a fine of up to £1,000 and ‘risk prosecution’ for watching Netflix if they don’t possess a valid TV licence
Netflix viewers have been warned that they could face a fine of £1,000 next week amid TV licence hell.
While most programs on the streaming service don’t require a TV licence to watch, the streaming platforms move into showing live events means that Brits need to have a TV licence in order to watch this kind of content. The warning has been issued ahead of Jake Paul and former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson’s landmark fight that’s due to air on November 15.
In the UK, it’s illegal to watch any live television without a valid TV licence, which means watching the fight live on Netflix is a violation of the law. Netflix has 171.1 million UK subscribers, many of whom may not have a television licence if they usually only watch streamable content and may be unaware of the live content rule.
According to TV Licensing: “You don’t need a TV licence to watch on demand programmes on Netflix”, with the same rule applying to most streaming platforms, including Disney Plus and Amazon Prime Video. But as soon as any live content is broadcast, viewers need to have a valid TV licence in place, or else risk a potentially large fine.
This rule covers all forms of live TV, whether being watched via traditional television or via a streaming platform. Viewers wanting to watch on-demand content don’t need a TV licence to enjoy Netflix, and the same rule applies to all other streaming services, aside from BBC iPlayer where viewers must have a TV licence to watch both live and on-demand content.
A standard TV licence costs £169.50 a year, after the fee was increased by £10 on April 1. You can set this up to be paid in one annual payment or you can opt to pay monthly via instalments. If you fail to pay your TV licensing bill and are caught by TV Licensing enforcement officers watching live TV without a licence, you could face a £1,000 fine and prosecution.
The TV Licencing website says: “We could visit your address to confirm if you need a TV Licence. If we find that you have been watching, recording or streaming programmes illegally, you risk prosecution and a fine for not having a TV Licence of up to £1,000 plus any legal costs and/or compensation you may be ordered to pay.”
Netflix’s new live streaming service has already shown a number of popular events, including a range of sports competitions and a Chris Rock comedy show. With the streaming service’s expansion into live content set to increase further, with the brand securing a contract to show WWE events from 2025.
