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TV licence / iPlayer

Neil P

Neil P

pfm Member
I have had an email from TV Licencing (we don't hold a licence) saying "we know you have been watching iPlayer" at #quotes full address#.

I have requested the data from them which they use to identify iPlayer usage. I suspect my wife/kids have started watching it on their own devices, as we don't have a TV.

But I'm intrigued to know what data source they use to link iPlayer use to our address? It can only be linked to my iPlayer account, so how do they know when I am watching at home (rather than someone else's house, covered by their licence)

I will probably fork out for a licence, even though the usage is minimal.
 
Do you have a landline (copper or fiber) for your broadband service? If so it will have a unique BBEU/ALID number. This is how your data usage is monitored. This BBEU number is linked to your billing address. The BBC don't see this but do have the IP addresses of users connected to their service. So the BBC make a request to the service provider (usually Openreach) for the BBEU number with that IP address and from there they have your address.

As this is an email I would be more inclined to tread carefully as it might be a scam.

DV
 
Neil P said:
I have had an email from TV Licencing (we don't hold a licence) saying "we know you have been watching iPlayer" at #quotes full address#.

I have requested the data from them which they use to identify iPlayer usage. I suspect my wife/kids have started watching it on their own devices, as we don't have a TV.

But I'm intrigued to know what data source they use to link iPlayer use to our address? It can only be linked to my iPlayer account, so how do they know when I am watching at home (rather than someone else's house, covered by their licence)

I will probably fork out for a licence, even though the usage is minimal.
Click to expand...
Standard advice to emails is ignore them.

You’ll get snail mail if they are serious.
 
turns out you need name, dob, post code. none of these are checked so in theory a Mr M Mouse at SW1A 2AA could register.
 
I suspect that a valid email address will have to be entered before you can get access to the content so is it possible it was used by your family or yourself previously?
The physical letters are just fired out to any address without a valid license and the tone of the letters are threatening to say the least.

I’ve got a stack of letters addressed to “The legal occupier” and have been getting them for seven years now. They’ve threatened to send the boys round but as yet never have appeared, being out in the sticks I suspect they’ll appear when there’s enough unlicensed local addresses to justify the trip.
I don’t have a tv these days so quite happy to let them in but there are stories of them stitching people up to get their commission so they can stay at my door!
But remember it’s not illegal to own a tv and watch catch up services, Netflix etc as long as it’s an on demand service (excluding iPlayer) and not being broadcast live.

If you don’t watch live tv or BBC iPlayer don’t get a license, buy some music instead. If you or your family do watch iPlayer or any live broadcasts then you do require a license.

Unfortunately for the BBC, due to the youth (and others) of today wanting to watch content at their convenience not the BBC’s, broadcast tv has become less relevant. I suspect this is why government will be getting lobbied to stick the fee on council tax or personal taxation so we have no choice but to pay.

I won’t link here, but there’s lots content about the license fee online and YouTube.
 
I received a similar email in the past if not mentioning the iplayer specifically and it was just wrong, so I suspect they might sometimes just be fishing...
 
Neil P said:
turns out you need name, dob, post code. none of these are checked so in theory a Mr M Mouse at SW1A 2AA could register.
Click to expand...
I can you tell for certain a few years ago, a Mr Spam at spam.com certainly was, for a while. DOB, 01/01/1901, and postcode as remembered from BBC Centre - rather than your DVLA example.

*cough* Allegedly.*cough*
 
Neil P said:
I have had an email from TV Licencing (we don't hold a licence) saying "we know you have been watching iPlayer" at #quotes full address#.

I have requested the data from them which they use to identify iPlayer usage. I suspect my wife/kids have started watching it on their own devices, as we don't have a TV.

But I'm intrigued to know what data source they use to link iPlayer use to our address? It can only be linked to my iPlayer account, so how do they know when I am watching at home (rather than someone else's house, covered by their licence)

I will probably fork out for a licence, even though the usage is minimal.
Click to expand...
TV Licencing send letters not e-mail. I would ignore this because the next step will be to invite you to bank transfer the licence fee...
 
Darth Vader said:
Do you have a landline (copper or fiber) for your broadband service? If so it will have a unique BBEU/ALID number. This is how your data usage is monitored. This BBEU number is linked to your billing address. The BBC don't see this but do have the IP addresses of users connected to their service. So the BBC make a request to the service provider (usually Openreach) for the BBEU number with that IP address and from there they have your address.

As this is an email I would be more inclined to tread carefully as it might be a scam.

DV
Click to expand...

So, if iPlayer was used on a device connected via wifi to the fibre broadband at my address, TV Licensing could find out?

Would it matter if it was a visitor whose iPlayer account was registered with a different name/postcode?
 
Neil P said:
So, if iPlayer was used on a device connected via wifi to the fibre broadband at my address, TV Licensing could find out?

Would it matter if it was a visitor whose iPlayer account was registered with a different name/postcode?
Click to expand...
Yes. But the question is do they bother? The police will track suspects this way.

There is no login to iPlayer so a visitor is just another user at your address. Just like using a TV. I doubt very much if the BBC interrogates the MAC address of a users network adapter that would also identify them.

Ignore the email and delete it. I've seen sooo many scams and they each have something in common - they put you into panic mode to take you off guard.

DV
 
According to the beeb I have no tv license. Even though ive paid for one over the last 30 years. Sadly it was No scam 😂
 
OTOH, this thread did remind me to renew my TV licence. Normally I receive an email reminder, but I was hacked recently, and their “email on file” account was deleted.

PFM to the rescue!
 
zeon said:
According to the beeb I have no tv license.
Click to expand...
Not surprised as they C differently. :D

Waited all my life for the free TV licence to kick in and then they pull the rug. I now pay monthly by d.d., organised by them. Nice option but I think this facility reserved for those abandoned senile citizens.
 
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