General : Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015)

[toady]

Originally Posted by andy_m

Highly regarded outside of the country it broadcasts in. Less so from a lot of people who consider it institutionally biased and have little choice but to pay for something which channel 4 have shown can be self funding. But hey ho.

The license fee is worth it not to have any adverts or even to have to skip them on a DVR, unlike Sky Sports which costs an arm and a leg each month but still has ads

[andy_m]

Originally Posted by toady

The license fee is worth it not to have any adverts or even to have to skip them on a DVR, unlike Sky Sports which costs an arm and a leg each month but still has ads

I'm really not bothered about adverts. If I have a problem with the licence fee it's that I rarely watch anything on any of the BBC channels. Why should I have to pay for them just so that I can be allowed access to the premium channels that I choose to pay for and choose to watch?

[harry_hitch]

Originally Posted by andy_m

I'm really not bothered about adverts. If I have a problem with the licence fee it's that I rarely watch anything on any of the BBC channels. Why should I have to pay for them just so that I can be allowed access to the premium channels that I choose to pay for and choose to watch?

Like you said earlier Andy, I turn off the tv and listen to the radio for music. Do you listen to much BBC output on the radio though, as the license fee funds the radio stations too (I imagine you are aware of that too though). Not trying to cause a storm, just curious.

[passingbat]

Originally Posted by andy_m

I don't forget it, I just don't consider it to be anywhere close to the same thing.

!

Television wise, The only revenue ITV has coming in, to make their programmes, is from advertising revenue and programme sales.

Likewise, the only revenue the BBC has coming in, to make their programmes, is from the license fee and programme sales.

Therefore, the advertising fees raised by ITV must roughly be equivalent to TV part of the fees raised by the licence fee for the BBC.

You have no choice but to pay the licence fee, and you have no choice but to pay the extra price added to your soap powder etc. to fund it's advertising.

Therefore, the license fee, and the money raised via advertising, (that you pay for) are the same thing. It's just that one is more obvious than the other.

I guess you could continually monitor all the adds on ITV etc., list them and never buy one of those products!

[andy_m]

Originally Posted by harry_hitch

Like you said earlier Andy, I turn off the tv and listen to the radio for music. Do you listen to much BBC output on the radio though, as the license fee funds the radio stations too (I imagine you are aware of that too though). Not trying to cause a storm, just curious.

I listen to the unbelievable truth on radio 4, otherwise it's almost solely commercial music radio.

And I watch Top Gear on tv, and some of the Nordic crime stuff that's been on BBC 4, and I'm racking my brain but I really think that might be about it.

I even find myself having to subscribe to pay for Sky Sports because the commitment to live sport has been reduced on the BBC to the point where they won't show all live f1 races, but won't give up the contract either, despite the fact that channel 4 were willing to step in and keep them free to air.

So my licence fee is being spent on less of the things I want, but I have to continue paying it just so that I still have the privilege of paying extra to continue to watch the stuff that they used to show.

---------- Post added at 20:20 ---------- Previous post was at 20:19 ----------

Originally Posted by passingbat

Television wise, The only revenue ITV has coming in, to make their programmes, is from advertising revenue and programme sales.

Likewise, the only revenue the BBC has coming in, to make their programmes, is from the license fee and programme sales.

Therefore, the advertising fees raised by ITV must roughly be equivalent to TV part of the fees raised by the licence fee for the BBC.

You have no choice but to pay the licence fee, and you have no choice but to pay the extra price added to your soap powder etc. to fund it's advertising.

Therefore, the license fee, and the money raised via advertising, (that you pay for) are the same thing. It's just that one is more obvious than the other.

I guess you could continually monitor all the adds on ITV etc., list them and never buy one of those products!

Exactly.

[passingbat]

Originally Posted by andy_m

Exactly.

Do you do that?

[harry_hitch]

Originally Posted by andy_m

I listen to the unbelievable truth on radio 4, otherwise it's almost solely commercial music radio.

And I watch Top Gear on tv, and some of the Nordic crime stuff that's been on BBC 4, and I'm racking my brain but I really think that might be about it.

I even find myself having to subscribe to pay for Sky Sports because the commitment to live sport has been reduced on the BBC to the point where they won't show all live f1 races, but won't give up the contract either, despite the fact that channel 4 were willing to step in and keep them free to air.

So my licence fee is being spent on less of the things I want, but I have to continue paying it just so that I still have the privilege of paying extra to continue to watch the stuff that they used to show.[COLOR="Silver"

Fair enough, thanks for answering. I think the BBC is worth the cost, just look at the history of great shows they have produced. Where would TV in this country be without it? I also love Just a Minute and I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue. Each to their own though.

[cj136uk]

Originally Posted by OLD BOY

Yes, but whatever the BBC says, it's the Government that will make the final decision on this.

You mean the BBC trust, and or parliament. The bbc isn't the governments

[andy_m]

Originally Posted by passingbat

Do you do that?

No. But as you rightly say, I could!

[passingbat]

Originally Posted by andy_m

No. But as you rightly say, I could!

Congratulations! You're paying the same 'tax' for the main commercial channels as you are for the BBC.

[andy_m]

Originally Posted by passingbat

Congratulations! You're paying the same 'tax' for the main commercial channels as you are for the BBC.

Through choice.

[passingbat]

Originally Posted by andy_m

Through choice.

So you're happy to pay for the commercial channels but not the BBC?

The only way anyone can choose not to pay for the main commercial channels is to monitor every advert on the four ITV channels, the three channel Four channels and three Channel 5 channels, 24/7. That is impossible for one person. I suppose a few like minded people could always form an advert monitoring club!

So the choice that is there in theory, is complete nonsense in practical terms.

[andy_m]

The fact is that advertising doesn't add anything to the price of your groceries. Fairy liquid is more expensive in your village shop than it is in Sainsbury's because the latter is a major retailer with greater buying power which is because of growth that has been achieved, in part, through advertising. The companies that can afford television advertising are shifting products in such scale that the unit prices contain fractions of pennies directly attributable to advertising.

And, whether you think it unlikely or not, the choice exists to not be involved. To shop locally and buy lesser brands. I don't think you'd really need to monitor every advert, I think you could make a pretty good guess at whether or not the tin of no brand beans you pick up in the corner shop has ever been seen on tv. Of course, your weekly shop would cost you a fortune but, hey, you know, so what, right?

But I, as a consumer of television and radio have very little personally to show for my £12 a month or whatever it currently is except for the opportunity to be able to pay even more to actually get to the stuff I want to watch.

It really isn't the same as far as I'm concerned. The licence fee is outdated. It belonged in a time when there was only public service broadcasting, not now where we have multi-channel pay tv and online services which are almost un-monitorable (I may have just made up a new word there!) and the BBC isn't even living up to its side of the bargain. It pays its executives a fortune at our expense, is reducing spending on output and produces obviously biased news coverage. That is not public service broadcasting.

[paultrademark]

Originally Posted by andy_m

I listen to the unbelievable truth on radio 4, otherwise it's almost solely commercial music radio.

And I watch Top Gear on tv, and some of the Nordic crime stuff that's been on BBC 4, and I'm racking my brain but I really think that might be about it.

Why don't you stop paying it then and just watch/listen to those few programmes on iPlayer and save yourself a fortune

[love Virgin2013]

Originally Posted by nodrogd

Thats what got me interested in dutch commercial radio. Far less advertising or interruptions, & 90% of the music output is in English.

Sky Radio NL is the only station I listen to now.

Best station in the world.