£1,000 fines for TV licence dodgers who watch online

THE TV Licensing Authority today launched a crackdown on people watching programmes on mobile phones and computers at the same time as they are broadcast.

It said many people wrongly believe they did not need a TV licence if they did not own a television. The TVLA pledged to track down offenders and warned they face a £1,000 fine.

Viewers are increasingly abandoning TVs in favour of watching channels online. The latest computers, games consoles and even mobile phones are now capable of receiving live TV broadcasts.

"There is a clear rise in the number of people watching TV channels via other means, and we need to make them aware of the rules," said a TVLA spokesman. "Many TV channels are now broadcast live over the internet. If you're watching programmes on a computer or laptop as they are broadcast, then you need a TV licence."

The so called "catch up" services, such as the BBC iPlayer, do not need a licence, said the TVLA. "You will need a licence to watch any channel live online, but you wouldn't need one to use BBC iPlayer to catch up on an episode of Strictly Come Dancing you missed, for instance."

ITV already offers live streams of its channels, and the BBC has plans to offer its channels live soon via its website. Several mobile phone companies also offer this service.

"A lot of people used it to watch the Olympics from their desk, so we ran a campaign to make them aware of the issue then," said the spokesman.

Students have been identified as one of the main problem areas. The TVLA is calling for online warnings.