Can You Watch BBC iPlayer Without a TV License ?
Many people get confused about whether they actually need a TV license. In truth it largely depends on your circumstances and where you live. Basically for any resident of the United Kingdom who owns a TV then you probably need a TV license or you’re risking a large fine. If you’re watching any British TV channel live or anything at all on BBC iPlayer then you need to buy a TV license. The basic fine for not having one is £1000 and it is technically a criminal offence although it’s unlikely you’ll be locked up! There is a bill currently being considered to de-criminalize the offence.
Of course it’s completely different if you’re trying to watch outside the United Kingdom – for a start you can’t actually buy a TV license anyway! Read on and we’ll explain more.
How will the BBC detect you watching iPlayer in the UK ?
The BBC has announced that it will start enforcing its rules for watching iPlayer without a TV license. This means that the BBC will use vans to “sniff out” people who are watching iPlayer without a license. The BBC has used surveillance vans to catch unlicensed TV watchers in the past, but will probably use different tactics to enforce the new iPlayer rules.
For a start there may not be any TV or aerial being used, so different tactics are needed. Yet in some instances this could be much easier – it’s relatively simple to track traffic from sites like BBC iPlayer to registered IP addresses. You can actually be traced accurately without the need for detector vans or teams, it can all be done remotely! The BBC denies that they are capturing data from private Wi-Fi networks in order to detect people watching iPlayer without a TV license. However, many people are skeptical of this claim and believe that the BBC is collecting this data regardless.
The BBC has announced that it will be clamping down on people watching its content without a TV licence. It has ruled out combing its own records of computers that have logged in to iPlayer and matching those up to licences, but it is authorized to use anti-terror legislation the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act to target people it already suspects of watching without a licence.
Can You Watch iPlayer without a TV Licence?
Of course, it largely depends on whether you’re caught ! There are supposedly certain loopholes that allow you to watch TV without a TV license, but they’re a bit confusing. If you check the TV licensing site – BBC iPlayer and the TV Licence – TV Licensing ™ then you’ll see it’s pretty impossible to watch any sort of live TV on any channel without a license. Don’t think it’s just the BBC either, it’s any live UK TV station broadcasting.
It’s safer to ignore the loopholes that you see mentioned online, there’s no real confirmation of these officially. You used to be able to watch programmes after they’re broadcast on the BBC iPlayer, however that’s changed now.
As of 1 September 2016, the BBC has introduced new rules that state that anyone who wants to watch the BBC iPlayer must have a valid TV licence. This means that people who don’t have a TV Licence now face a £1,000 fine and any legal costs and/or compensation they may be ordered to pay.
If you have a valid TV licence, you can access all of the content on BBC iPlayer. You’ll be asked when you connect and when you create a BBC user account then you have to enter your postcode to confirm location. You can find valid UK postal codes here to get passed this step. However, if you don’t have a TV licence, you can still access some of its content through catch-up services like Virgin Media’s Watch and Later or Netflix’s UK edition.
Remember you can’t actually buy a UK TV license from outside the UK.
How does BBC iPlayer know my location or Home Address?
There’s two distinct situations here – watching through a TV or through some sort of internet enabled device (including a Smart TV). If you’re not connected to the internet then detecting you is much harder. There’s much debate about actual detector vans, basically whether they still exist or not, look online and you’ll find lots of discussions. It’s a situation the TV licensing authorities encourage if you check their page – How do the detector vans work? – TV Licensing ™
In reality the majority of these vans are probably simply checking the voters list compared to those where no TV license is registered to and going from there. The vast majority of residential premises will have a TV license so it’s more about checking those who haven’t. Certainly if you buy a new TV your address will be listed as requiring a TV license.
For those of us who use the internet to stream TV channels then it’s actually much easier using a technology called geolocation or geotargeting. Geolocation is the identification of the real-world geographic location of an object, such as a smartphone or computer. BBC iPlayer also uses geolocation to determine which UKTV channels are available in your area
BBC iPlayer uses a combination of IP addresses and location data to determine where you are. The IP address is the unique number that identifies a computer on the network. The data is used to determine the location of the user based on their IP address.
It’s this technology that also blocks access to people trying to watch from outside the UK. As soon as you connect your IP address is checked and if it’s from a non-domestic site i.e. outside the UK then you’ll be blocked.
What Happens if I Watch BBC iPlayer without a TV license?
According to Ofcom, watching television without a TV license is illegal. This is because the law states that all television broadcast services must be paid for by the viewer, even if they are only watching online. The law states that the viewer has to pay for the service if they are watching it on a device that they have not paid for.
This is of course, a UK law which applies to citizens in the United Kingdom. There’s certainly no laws in other countries about watching the BBC or accessing UK Television. You can’t actually buy a TV license outside the United Kingdom anyway even if you wanted to. although of course many who travel, holiday or commute outside the UK will probably already have a license linked to their home residence.
We can break this question in two parts –
Watching UK TV from within the UK without Paying the License Fee
You can certainly do this, there’s nothing that will directly stop you. However you are actually committing an offence here, so it’s definitely not advisable. Whether you’re caught or not, risking the fine and potentially a criminal conviction is a huge risk and it’s just not worth it. There is discussion now about de-criminalizing the offence of watching TV without a TV license, it’s likely to pass in the near future.
Basically if you watch UK TV, including any access to BBC iPlayer then you should make sure your covered by a UK TV license. It’s not worth the risk to not have one.
Watching UK TV from Outside the UK without a License.
If you’re not in the UK then obviously this law doesn’t apply to you. You can’t buy a TV license anyway so it’s rather a moot point on whether you should buy one. In this scenario there’s two points to consider –
- You get blocked by BBC and other UK TV stations automatically.
- There’s no offence it’s simply breaking terms and conditions of the site.
Obviously millions of people access UK television sites all the time from outside the UK. By using tools like VPNs you can bypass the blocks and watch irrespective of your location.
If you’re using the BBC iPlayer, then you will be asked if you have a TV license before streaming (everyone is) however there’s no check or verification. You must answer ‘yes’ to this question to watch anything on BBC iPlayer.
TV License Summary
So basically the situation is very different based on your physical location. If you’re in the UK then you should definitely ensure you have or are covered by a valid UK TV license. It’s really not worth the fine and prosecution avoiding the license.
If you’re outside the UK then don’t worry about it. You can’t buy a UK TV license anyway so there’s nothing you can do. You’ll have to fib when they ask you if you want to watch the BBC, the other channels don’t ask.
Can TV Licensing see if you watch iPlayer?
Not really but they can and do check UK addresses who don’t have a valid UK TV license. If you’re in the UK it’s really not worth the risk anyway. Watching online or via a traditional TV you should have a UK TV license. Remember, the TV Licensing people can track your IP when watching BBC iPlayer.
There’s no legal requirement for a UK TV license in any other country and you certainly won’t be prosecuted. If you use a VPN like many of us to access BBC abroad, then you don’t need to worry. The BBC and the other TV channels do try and block access from VPNs though. Your location is hidden anyway when you use a VPN.
Connecting from outside the UK using a VPN is completely safe unless you run into Broadcasting House and confess.
Seriously though, there are many Expat communities where virtually the entire population have been watching the BBC overseas for many years without problem.
Why You Need a VPN to Watch BBC iPlayer from Any Device
BBC iPlayer is a digital video service that allows users to watch live or past broadcasts of television programs. It is available only to users in the UK. To access content from outside of the UK, users can use a VPN.
A VPN “changes your virtual location” so that it appears as if you are in the UK when accessing BBC iPlayer content. This will allow you to watch BBC iPlayer from abroad. Some people use a VPN to watch the BBC iPlayer in the UK without a UK TV license too. You have to use a VPN with UK servers for this to work.
Here’s an example of how it works.
As you can see it’s not difficult, most of the popular VPNs like NordVPN are extremely easy to use.
Watch All the UK TV Channels – ITVX, Channel 4 and Channel 5
All the UK TV channels block access from outside the United Kingdom. The major ones like ITV Hub, Channel 4 and Channel 5 all have licensing restrictions which stop them broadcasting to other countries directly. However if you connect to a UK VPN server then everything will work fine as your real location is completely hidden and you’ll appear to be in the UK. Basically the right VPN will allow you to watch UK TV everywhere without any issues.
Not all VPN services work anymore though as all of these TV channels try and block access from them. Make sure you use a VPN service like Nord VPN that supports access to these TV stations. The BBC iPlayer is currently the most aggressive at blocking VPN access so you’ll find more work with the other TV stations. It’s worth getting a VPN that works with all of them. Remember to enable your VPN before accessing the site and you should have little problem.
You do have to create accounts on some of these sites, but they’re generally free. Remember millions of expats and holidaymakers have been doing this for many years without any issues. It’s really not that difficult as the VPN services are extremely easy to use.
Can BBC Track you on iPlayer?
As explained if you’re watching any BBC programmes from inside the UK you should really get a UK TV license. It’s unlikely that there are many TV detector vans in existence any more but it’s actually quite simple to track people watching online or using the internet. If you stream in any way from your home address, your IP address can be tracked directly to your address. Use a VPN even if you’re in the UK to hide this address.
How to Watch BBC iPlayer without TV License?
Basically, if you’re outside the UK then you can’t buy a TV license and you don’t need one anyway. The TV licensing enforcement have no jurisdiction outside the UK, so if you’re watching from abroad using a VPN then you’re completely fine without a TV license. If you’re in the UK then using a VPN should hide you IP address from the TV licensing company but you are taking a risk as your address will be targeted because it’s not registered so be careful.