Catching up on BBC iPlayer could soon require a TV licence

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The BBC, with government backing, is planning to close an existing loophole which currently allows viewers to use BBC iPlayer for catch-up TV without the need for a television licence...

The Chancellor, George Osborne, has asked the BBC to foot a £650m bill for free TV licences for over-75s, and it is believed that the move to charge a licence fee for catch-up TV would go some way to recouping this shortfall.

Culture Secretary John Whitttingdale has indicated he would speed up the delivery of any legislation to allow the BBC to charge people for using iPlayer on devices other than televisions, including laptops, tablets and smartphones.

According to The Independent, the plan is expected to be phased in from 2017, but how the BBC plans to enforce such a move remains to be seen.

What do we think? More and more of us are watching catch-up TV as opposed to live, so this move probably makes sense. But let us know your thoughts on the subject with a comment below.

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Andy Madden
Andy Madden

Andy is Deputy Editor of What Hi-Fi? and a consumer electronics journalist with nearly 20 years of experience writing news, reviews and features. Over the years he's also contributed to a number of other outlets, including The Sunday Times, the BBC, Stuff, and BA High Life Magazine. Premium wireless earbuds are his passion but he's also keen on car tech and in-car audio systems and can often be found cruising the countryside testing the latest set-ups. In his spare time Andy is a keen golfer and gamer.