TV Licensing, students and the law - a guide for students
TO ALL STUDENTS
When do you need a TV licence?
Equipment
❖ A valid TV Licence is required if you use a TV, or television receiving equipment such as desktop
computer, laptop, mobile phone, tablet, games console, digital box and Blu-ray/DVD/VHS recorder. A
valid licence is required if a computer is being used to receive streamed data online - live and fed in
real-time-of programmes included in a television broadcasting service. (Real time is defined as
viewing programmes at virtually the same time as they are broadcast conventionally.)
❖ You will need to be covered by a TV Licence to download or watch BBC programmes on demand,
including catch up TV, on BBC iPlayer. This applies to any device and provider you use that lets you
watch live TV over the internet, such ITV Hub, Channel 4 Watch Live, All 4, Sky Go, Virgin Media, Now
TV, BT TV, Apple TV, YouTube, Amazon Instant Video and Roku.
❖ Providing that you have a TV Licence for your home address, then you will be covered if you’re
watching away from your home on a phone, tablet or laptop, and:
o you plug your device into the mains, you’ll be covered if that property already has a TV
Licence (e.g. you go to a friend’s house and they have a licence). The College does not have a
TV Licence to cover you.
o your device is not plugged in (i.e. you’re watching or recording live TV programmes on any
channel, or downloading or watching BBC programmes on iPlayer, using devices powered
solely by internal batteries).
Accommodation
❖ If you live in College accommodation and watch live TV or catch up TV on BBC iPlayer in your own
room, you need your own separate TV Licence.
❖ You also need your own TV Licence if you are sharing a house with other students and watch live TV
or catch up TV on BBC iPlayer in your room, and your room is a separately occupied place (a separate
tenancy agreement would normally indicate that this is the case)
❖ If you are sharing a house with other students and you watch live TV or catch up TV on BBC iPlayer in
your own room, but the house can be treated as one place shared by all, then only one TV licence is
required (a joint tenancy agreement would usually be evidence that the house is a single licensable
place for this purpose)
Costs
❖ A TV Licence currently costs £159.00. You can spread the cost weekly, fortnightly, monthly or
quarterly.
Refunds
You can request a refund for your TV Licence if:
❖ You won’t need your licence again before it expires, and you have at least one complete month left
on it
OR
❖ Your licence has already expired and less than two years have passed since the expiry date.
http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/refunds-and-cancellations/apply-for-a-refund
For up-to-date and further information, visit www.tvlicensing.co.uk
August 2022
