Do you need a TV Licence?
Purchasing a TV License may be one of the decisions you need to make when you move into your new student accommodation, since student finances are usually limited you should be prepared to budget for this. A lot depends on your needs, if you are a big movie enthusiast and enjoy watching movies; TV shows and any program that are broadcaston TV The current cost of a full colour TV licence is around £145.00 Per year (2014)
To help you understand if you need a TV license, I am going to keep it simple: if when you watch your TV you are watching live shows (at the time it is being broadcasted on the TV channel), you are required to have a TV license, and by not complying you risk having to pay a heavy fine of up to 1,000 pounds fine.
So whether you live in a student house, flat, studio or even Private Halls the issue of a TV licence will apply to you, therefore it’s very important to check if you need one. If your Landlord or student hall have provided a TV do not assume that they have provided a licence, in any event if they have the licence may only be applicable to that particular common area only. If you do choose to have your own TV then do check if you need a licence.
Students don’t have time to watch TV!
Indeed, this may be the case that you are entirely dedicated to your books and study and will never watch TV wink wink! So if you do not watch live TV you do not have to get a license, this does mean you can own a TV and use it just for gaming or watching DVDs you are not required to have a TV license.
As many students do not need TV License to own a TV, there are other alternatives on how to use your TV without watching live television. If you have a laptop or computer you can connect it to the TV and play or watch movies on a wider screen, the movies could be bought online or streamed. Playing a game on a wider TV is always fun, especially if your laptop doesn’t have a big screen or your desktop doesn’t have a screen. If you want you could always invest in a gaming console and have an even better time playing the many games that you could buy, or you could play a game in which you control the character with your own movements.
In summary, it all depends on what you need, if you want to watch live television or just watch movies from time to time and have fun playing games.