Buckrogers

Is the licence fee good value?



If I am watching TV, more often than not it is one of the BBC channels. I cannot stand being interrupted by constant commercials! I have no problem in paying the licence, for that reason alone.

SiDHEaD

Trouble is the BBC chans have adverts every 30 mins anyway for the same programs over and over...

Buckrogers

True, but I can stand 4 mins every hour, as opposed to 15 mins every hour for the rest...

Echo

But they are not in the middle of programmes

Jerome

Before I moved to Canada, I used to think the licence fee was a rip off. I managed, by various means, to avoid paying it for many years.

Now I have to put up with commercials every 8 seconds. Just about every advert is fecking annoying. They even put the adverts between the end of a program and the credits FFS. I tried to watch Gladiator recently, but with adverts, the films was 4 hours long. I ended up renting the DVD instead because the adverts became intolerable.

Even though non-BBC channels don't have as many adverts as here, I don't think you can appreciate having decent channels without adverts until you've experienced N.American TV.

If I ever move back to the UK, I will pay the licence fee gladly.

boxst

Hello

I pay £35 for Sky and they do not produce any programs. And actually what I end up doing is watching some of the re-runs on UK Gold that were made by the BBC.

So, I think that the monthly licence cost is worth it if the BBC continue to produce programs.

Steve.

nyscooby

iTrader: (12)

licence = secret tax
lottery = secret tax
petrol = non secret tax
Fresh air = wait for next budget

Suresh

The beeb produces good quality television, in fact it's so good that they relay BBC1 and BBC2 as part of the standard cable package out here in Holland.

What's a licence fee though?

Suresh

Pastor

I support the BBC but don't think the licence fee is good value as the corporation is riddled with nepotism and waste.
What they need is a hatchet man, if Tony is reading this (and I'm sure following all the attacks here that the thought police are keeping him well informed of happenings on SN) I'd make a good choice as the next DG.

GaryK

Wel worth it IMHO, superb documentaries, drama's, used to do good comedy plenty of stuff for kids and little uns on cbbc and cbeebies.

cigarboy

The BBC seems to have evolved into a very smug, corporate creature of late. I'm not talking about Hutton and all the "high profile" things they have done right / wrong, but I think they try too hard to be a corporate leader, and end up tripping over themselves whilst trying to do it.

Private Eye is a good read for finding out the inner workings of the BBC.

Petem95

The fee is too high IMO, they should cut down the services they offer and just stick to the basics. BBC1, BBC2 and the main BBC radio channels should be it.

Why do they also have loads of digital channels? Crap like 1Xtra for black listeners? And News24 with its vested interest and 'government pulling the strings' reporting?

suprabeast

i don't think its that extortionate.. the thing that winds me up is that if you own a tv, you have to buy the license regardless of if you ever watch bbc. i think thats wrong

Leslie

Only things worth watching these days are the News, Question of Sport, Any Questions, which would be far better without the greasy Dimbleby, and the occasional documentary.

Les

paul-s

question of sport is utter pants...its stuck in the stone age with that presenter woman whatever her name is. needs someone that hasnt been on the show for 65,000 years

Abdabz

Its worth every penny Think of the quality shows produced by Auntie - its phenomenal from Only Fools - Howards Way - Eldorado - Vicar Of Dibley - Match of the day - Have I got newd for you - Red Dwarf - Blue Peter - Grange Hill - Countryfile - Fawlty Towers - Little Britain etc non non non with adverts every 15 mins - bloody marvellous!!
I love the beeb - its an institution - one that doesnt need tampering with - hurrah for the beeeeeb!

Dracoro

Eldorado LOL You have to be joking. And the amount of money they spent making that crap was scary.

However, I've no problem with the beeb/licence fees. Good service all in all. Website is great too!

Freak

Not very keen on paying the licence fee, and then having to shell out for my digital cable as well which includes the bbc channels! I bet the cable companys pay for the right to broadcast the bbc down their wires too... so they cash in twice

Every other channel manages without funding from it- why cant the bbc?
Overpriced and pointless IMO

Dracoro

It ultimately comes down to whether or not you want channels without advertising. Personally I do and am happy to pay. Think how much you pay for Sky or suchlike and they don't even give you a top website, radio stations etc. AND you have to put up with a barrage of ads on top.

hedgehog

I agree that the BBC should cut back on the crap. Some years back they tried to compete with Sky and similar. Instead they should have stuck with two TV channels and the existing radio channels and put all the cash into producing higher quality programming. That would then have made their offerings unique and they could have sold their services on quality rather than on "feel the width."

Lets be honest, the quality of BBC programming in both production and technical areas has fallen through the floor. Sure, they still do some good stuff but if they had used the money wisely they could have been in a position to do ALL good stuff.

With that in mind I think that the license fee should remain but that the BBC should not have to go through the constant round of charter renewals etc. which basically makes it a pawn of the government.

johnfelstead

its good value, if you lived in the USA for any length of time you would understand just how good a service the BBC provides and how that culture has a knock on effect to the comercial stations having to provide an alternative of equally high standard.

It's one of the reasons the UK population in general are more clued up about the outside world IMHO, with the BBC there is the ability to make ground breaking, comercially non viable progaming, which we take for granted. If you have a purely comercial driven TV system you get a masive amount of crap and very little in depth information.

FrenchBoy

I'll agree with that!

If you think the UK is bad for tv try living in the states - its appalling.

BBC is worth every penny - I pay my license fee gladly!

wez_sti

Point well made. The BBC is one of the few things i think this country has got going for it! The BBC is recognised worldwide as a leader in its field.

The US does produce some superb shows, Sopranos, 24 etc.. but the VAST majority of stuff is absolute trash!

The Documentrys the Beeb produce such as 'Blue Planet' are breath taking and i suspect the envy of TV companies everywhere.


The adverts in the US/Canada are a joke, i honestley don't know how they put up with it! As mentioned a film lasts for about 3/4 hours! And the adverts are even worse than ours! They make the Daz DoorStep Challenge look Oscar worthy! They even have adverts DURING 'soccer' matches!

You only have to watch Basketball on Channel 5 to see how many adverts the USA have, C5 need presenters to fill the time the sport is of air whilst the yanks are being fed adverts!

Thats why things like 24, Angel, Buffy etc.. are only 40 minutes long, 20 mins of adverts in an hour, thats 30% of the viewing time!!!!

Mica Blue

Don't often watch the BBC, although I do likeTop gear + Little Britain

Vegescoob

You don't appreciate what you've got till it's gone. New Zealand TV as USA utter junk full of adverts.
However, I do detest how, post Hutton the BBC seems to be sucking up to the government.

class_A

Great variety and depth of programmes for all tastes (TV, national radio and local radio), a trusted and relatively neutral news source and all the online services - well worth it in my opinion, even if I don't consume everything they broadcast.