Do I need a TV licence to watch Netflix?-Elizabeth Atkin-Entertainment – Metro

Find out if Stranger Things, Too Hot To Handle and the new Harry & Meghan doc require a TV licence to view (Picture: Getty)

Netflix has recently unleashed a swathe of much-discussed programming.

As well as being the streaming home for classic sitcoms Friends and Seinfeld, Netflix is also home to its buzzed-about original hit TV programme Stranger Things.

The fourth series of globally-popular dating show Too Hot To Handle came out in December 2022, hot on the heels of another experimental dating show called Love Is Blind.

Of course, the streamer is also where those interested in the royals can watch The Crown, or opt for a look into the lives of Prince Harry and Meghan with their own show.

Whatever it is you want to watch, you might be wondering if you need to have a TV licence to do so – especially if you watch Netflix on your actual TV, rather than a phone or laptop.

Here’s what you need to know.

Do I need a TV licence to watch Netflix or other streaming services?

No, you don’t need one. Netflix can be watched without a TV licence, confirms the TV Licensing website.

The official website states in its FAQs: ‘You don’t need a TV Licence if you only ever use Netflix or other online TV services to watch on demand or catch up programmes.’

However, you do need a TV licence if you ever watch live TV channels or watch live TV programmes through streaming services including Amazon Prime, All4, BBC iPlayer, ITVX, NOW or Sky Go.

The same goes for YouTube. If you’re watching a TV programme live via YouTube then you do need a TV licence – but if you don’t watching anything live, then you’re OK to go without.

As explained by TV Licensing: ‘You DO need a TV Licence if you watch TV live on YouTube.

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‘An example of this would be watching Sky News live. But it isn’t just live news or sport which needs a licence – it’s any programme which is part of a TV channel, broadcast or transmitted for everyone to watch at the same time.’

When it comes to BBC iPlayer, though, you pretty much always need a TV licence.

Whether the programme is catch-up, on demand or live, and watched through iPlayer, it requires a licence.

It’s worth noting that the rules apply to any device where you watch TV, including normal TVs as well as computers, laptops, tablets and even your gaming console or device.

TV Licences typically cost £159 per year – and you can find out more about if you definitely need one on the TV Licensing website.

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