I would suggest this is the fatal flaw in trying to become informed.
YouTube is for cats falling off things, makeup tutorials, 40 somethings pretending to be 20 somethings having fake arguments with each other via videos to earn ad rev, and terrorists to spread hate.
In plenty of other countries it’s just added on with the other housing taxes. You get your council tax (equivalent) bill and it’s just there in the breakdown. Seems like a pretty straightforward way to do it. Some countries call it an audiovisual tax or the like to make clear it’s not about whether you watch EastEnders or Top Gear, but rather about having any kind of device that broadcasts tv or radio of any kind. I don’t think many people actually realise that it is something many countries have, they think it’s some peculiar thing that only the UK has to pay for the BBC when it’s the way lots of countries pay for their public broadcasters.
I’ve not paid for one for 15 years now. If you tell them you don’t need one they’ll still hound you with letters regardless.
I actually sent them all back at the start with not known at this address and now every 3-4 weeks without fail a letter for the legal owner comes from them.
They just go straight in the bin after I’ve opened them up to see what the latest threat theme is for the current month.
They do like to send them out in envelopes with lots of big words on the envelope usually in bold and red, then the letters are always spattered with red ink, threatening speil blah blah.
They claim they’re out all the time investigating but I’ve never seen then at my address.
I can’t.
That you’re arguing to defund a respected, world-leading, independent, fact-checking, international, non-partisan, fair and free-speech broadcaster, because of some bloke ranting on YouTube.
Definition. Of. Ironic.
You need to get your facts from somewhere more competent. If only there was a news-gathering organisation which did that, for less than the price of Monzo’s metal card…
I never paid for a TV licence until June 2020 because I never watched live TV at all. All I do it watch Youtube or Netflix et. al.
The reason I started paying for it wasn’t because I bought a TV, it was because I was streaming all the Covid news briefings and I didn’t want to be a hypocrite as I was now watching live TV.
I’ve stopped really watching them so I’m planning to stop paying for it in a few months when I get round to it.
If you still want to keep up with the latest news without watching the briefings, the Guardian live blogs are just as good. Perhaps better, even, as the distill the information down to the important bits and cut out the waffle.
Out of interest, do you pay for The Guardian?
The Saturday edition, yes. Have been buying that every week without fail for over a decade now.
Shame it forwent the Berliner format 
Should I admit I quite like the Berliner format? 
I find it more convenient to hold and easier to read. I miss the fact there used to be a few more separate sections, though - Family isn’t quite the same now it’s shoved into the Weekend.
Oh I definitely did. But it’s tabloid now, right?
Doh. I got my formats mixed up. I meant it’s the tabloid I like 
It may not be perfect but I think the BBC does a brilliant job overall.
In today’s polarised climate it’s tough to tow the impartiality line with everyone trying to shout about bias and censorship.
Its source of funding may be contentious, but I think many countries would love to have their own BBC.
It could and should strive to be better, but it would be a tragedy to throw the baby out with the bath water.
RT are literally the mouthpiece of the Russian government.
I’ve spent a lot of time watching RT both here and in Russia and I would say I cannot agree with you.
I don’t think the BBC is perfect but boy is it better than RT for bias.
90% of people in the UK use a BBC service every week. If you take that down to every month, or every year, the number would be even higher.
Last time I checked accessing the BBC website or downloading the news app doesn’t require a TV license. Doesn’t matter how people feel about that the facts are it’s free to use.
I’ll happily read the few odd articles I do per year with the knowledge that I’m not having to pay a penny for that.
As for knowing about the latest updates on each program well if someone decides to do it and not pay the license fee there’s only a slim chance they’ll ever be caught out in the 1st place.
Keep your TV out of sight of anyone peering in to see what you’re watching. If anyone comes to the door to identify themselves as TV licensing just say no thanks and close the door. Unless they’ve got a warrant and are stood there with the police they have no right of access to the property and you don’t have to say anything to them.
It is indeed. It’s funded by the TV licence generally though so if you make it optional, away go those services too.
I can live with it going away to be fair, it’s rare I ever visit the website.
I’m deffo in that 10% that don’t…
Not watched a bbc channel, or listened to the radio in years, deffo don’t watch Bbc news it anything like that either