No television.

About a year ago I got rid of my television and I can honestly say that it's the best thing that I ever did. To start with it means that I don't have to pay the BBC anything towards the licence fee.

It had got to the stage where all was on was a constant stream of tv talent shows, cookery programmes, soaps and repeats.

It also means that I have time to do other things like get a bit more reading done, get out for a run and if I realy want to watch something, I can always watch it later on by logging in to BBC iplayer.

Who else has gone tv cold turkey?

good on you

although watching shows on iplayer isn't quite going cold turkey, is it?

i thought if you watched tv on the computer on i player or things you needed a liscence............

i did do a major change in Febraury when I got rid of Sky after many many years.......had some objections from the teenagers at first..but now they accept that we just get a limited freeview.........

had so many offers from sky to go back........but all I want is an apology........so no chance.......

I think i could happily ditch it when the kids leave home.or maybe if i ditch the tv.the kids would leave home quicker

LIVERBIRD wrote (see)

You do need a licence for iplayer but only if you're streaming LIVE TV, not for recorded programmes. That said they are quite likely to come round to your house and harass the hell out of you because you've had a licence previously and no longer pay up.
I know this because I worked at a community centre as a volunteer which ditched the telly and was hounded by the licence enforcers because they were a soft target. Be firm, explain that you DON'T watch live TV and as they have to catch you doing it and the onus is on them to prove you ARE rather than you proving you're NOT, you should be OK.

Just don't expect them to live you alone for a while,

I've already had the snotty letter from them telling me that your address doesn't have a tv licence and is under investigation, so I phoned them and told them that I don't have a tv and only watch iplayer, 4OD etc on the internet. They said thanks for letting us know, but we may need to send someone round to check. I asked them how come the police don't harrass every person in the country that doesn't hold a gun licence, or the DVLA doesn't harrass everyone in the country who doesn't hold a driving licence. It seems like the TV licencing people seem to think that they can treat everyone who hasn't got a tv as a criminal. This just goes to prove what we've known all along. That it is an organisation run along the lines of a Communist state.

Remember, Big Brother is watching you. Be afraid, be very afraid, even if you have done nothing wrong! 

Well, with a tv schedule packed with X Factor, Loose Women, The Jeremy Kyle Show, soaps and Big Brother, I don't think I'll be buying a television any time soon. 

Move, then move again, you'll lose them eventually

My OH did without a telly for a couple of years.

The licencing people sent regular monthly letters, which he just ignored, and they went away in the end.  You don't have to engage with them - just ignore their letters.  Contact them and say you don't have a telly if you want, but you don't have to.

I wouldn't call the treatment he got 'harrassment'.  They may have sent someone round, but no-one ever called when he was in.

I only watch tv when there's something I particularly want to see - so not very often! 

Just ignore the licence fee people. If you're confident of your position and are in the right, you have nothing to worry about.

The licence fee isn't only about TV, btw, and I watch very little, although personally I think it's worth every penny just for Radio 4 and BBC 4 (and the World Service, soon to be licence-fee funded).

it does fund the radio, but you don't need a licence to listen to the radio

"although personally I think it's worth every penny"

An employee speaks.

Am I being a bit dim?  What ever happened to TV detector vans?  Or don't they work in the digital age?

I was "between" tellies for a week or so and got through all of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, which was nice.  But I'm glad I've got a telly again.

I've not had a TV since they turned the analogue signal off (which was August 2011 in my area I think). I received one letter from TV Licencing and I rang them, telling them my TV was an old one and couldn't receive digital without a set-top box or whatever, and I just wasn't interested. I can honestly I've not had one single thing from them since either. They've just left me alone. No idea if they can monitor me, but I've had no contact.

And I don't miss it at all either, although I do tend to spend far too long arsing round on FB and similar instead now....!

it is my belief that there is no such thing as TV detector vans and there never has been.

it was a myth designed to frighten pensioners and small children.

What is this TV thing of which you speak?