SEVERAL residents in Carlisle are still have a black and white TV licence - it has been revealed. Our readers had their say on the News & Star website and Facebook page.

As someone who doesn’t watch or record live TV on any device, I don’t need a licence at all. Legally opted out via the TV Licensing website. Quite happy watching catch-up (not BBC iplayer) or Amazon Prime and absolutely delighted to be no longer supporting the Biased Broadcasting Corporation.

Mrs Bell

It’s not biased in how it reports, but is biased in what it reports, how much depth they give stories, and the prevalence and visibility of certain stories. It’s inevitable really, even if it isn’t intentional.

If you run a story about Labour’s ongoing issues with antisemitism at the same time as the Panama papers ties to certain tory members, one of them has to appear before the other in the news feed.

JacksonM

I regularly read comments along the lines of:

“BBC has luvvie lefty bias! The EU Broadcasting Corporation, always scaremongering!”

And then 5 minutes later:

“The Brexit Broadcasting Corporation obeying its Tory masters once more! Farage is always on!”

Sounds to me like their balance is just right.

Dagsannr

I bet they still play pong on an Atari 2600 as well.

Shaun Patrick Watson

People no longer watch live TV, it’s 2019 not the 70s. I never watch the BBC and very rarely actually turn on my BT box. Amazon, Netflix both offer more value for money.

Nowaycanitbe

Of course nobody watches live TV any longer. Apart, for example, from the 13.2 million people who tuned into Line of Duty or the 10.1 million who watched Britain’s Got Talent.

If nobody watched live TV, ITV and the other commercial channels would go under within a day because they rely on advertising, which relies on people watching it. And Sky, Netflix and everyone else wouldn’t have to advertise on ITV, because everyone would have it anyway.

And I hate to point this out, but horse racing on catch-up TV has never been a great success...

Sword of Light

TV licence £154. My subscription to both amazon and Netflix £168. £14 more for quadruple the choice.

Nowaycanitbe

If you think the TV licence only pays for TV shows then you’re very wide of the mark. Netflix etc only buy TV programmes, BBC could do the same if you want to lose every single good thing about it.

M Robb

Amazon great value... and all that tax they pay is a great help to the NHS etc... oh no... hang on.

Jack Attheback

Have you seen the wages for the presenters at the BBC? It’s beyond ridiculous.

Also, live TV has become the paperback of the 21st century - outdated, inconvenient, limited and more expensive compared to modern alternatives. Barely anyone in Gen Z (I’m 18) actually watches “legacy TV” on the sofa with a remote and a Sky box; streaming with websites like Netflix gives you much more choice (anime, American TV, movies on demand, Netflix originals, even East Asian reality TV if you really want it), compared to watching whatever the BBC wants you to watch.

Once the Boomers and Gen X’ers die off, TV is going to go the way of the dinosaurs.

CumbrianCaveman