I wouldn't be uncomfortable with a reasonable subscription fee for HD news and documentaries on iPlayer catch up via a "sign in" - certainly not for soaps, light entertainment and sport though!

BBC news and documentaries are generally very well produced: one example being aviation incidents where sensationalist reporting is not given air time, reputable flight deck forums rarely criticise BBC coverage unlike the sensationalist and inaccurate reporting on other news channels and media.

the tv license is victorian, its so outdated.

If the bbc is so great value for money then make it optional, obviously its so great everyone will pay it anyway

In reply to a post by 4M2:

I wouldn't be uncomfortable with a reasonable subscription fee for HD news and documentaries on iPlayer catch up via a "sign in" - certainly not for soaps, light entertainment and sport though!

You pay for those too on the independent channels, just unavoidably (even if you don't have a TV) and not so obviously.

Company's advertising budgets are part of the price you pay for the goods and services you buy.

In reply to a post by Chrysalis:

If the bbc is so great value for money then make it optional, obviously its so great everyone will pay it anyway

80% of people probably just want to watch soaps, reality TV shows and "talent" contents. Do we want those people dictating the quality of the BBC? Or do we want a stripped down much cheaper BBC which focuses on core, worthwhile stuff like a quality news output and respected documentaries which might possibly raise us above the pond life mentality?

Edited by Oliver341 (Sun 15-Jun-14 12:40:53)

In reply to a post by Chrysalis:

the tv license is victorian, its so outdated.

I'm one of those who stopped paying the licence fee but I wouldn't want to see the standard of news reporting and documentaries reduced due to the BBC's declining income. A subscription based system for catch up where one could choose categories would be OK for me.

In reply to a post by billford:

You pay for those too on the independent channels, just unavoidably (even if you don't have a TV) and not so obviously.

Company's advertising budgets are part of the price you pay for the goods and services you buy.

I do occasionally watch online the 3 minute recorded news summary on Sky when there are problems with iPlayer, but the preceding adverts can be quite an irritation

I seem to recall a post on tbb 2 or 3 years ago - from MHC? - in which the poster said his sister(?) in her work had got figures of c.£300 per year per household for the cost of commercial TV adverts built in to the cost of the products we buy.

In all the debate over the TV licences, let's not forget that it also funds the national and local BBC Radio channels even though there's now no separate radio licence - let alone a separate car radio licence as there used to be.

Car Radio Licence, like Dog Licences- had cost more to collect than the revenue it raised.

Now, how about a new licence for Meerkats?

Power to common sense!

Oops!

Edited by RobertoS (Sun 15-Jun-14 22:13:22)

In reply to a post by Oliver341:

In reply to a post by Chrysalis:

If the bbc is so great value for money then make it optional, obviously its so great everyone will pay it anyway

80% of people probably just want to watch soaps, reality TV shows and "talent" contents. Do we want those people dictating the quality of the BBC? Or do we want a stripped down much cheaper BBC which focuses on core, worthwhile stuff like a quality news output and respected documentaries which might possibly raise us above the pond life mentality?

I think the bbc has already gone down that path.

strictly come dancing is in my view a taltent contest.