With freeview (it's like free wireless cable but not as good) we get quite a few advertisement free channels. The vast majority of broadcasting is paid for by advertisements though.RackGaki wrote:When I first heard that folks in the UK had to get a license to watch television, I was quite dumbfounded. Here, the major broadcast networks all flow through the air free to everyone, though the vast majority of American TV viewers pay for a cable or satellite service.Niode wrote: Think about cable TV. You could watch terrestrial TV over the airwaves for free (Illegal in the UK, I don't know about the US, we have to pay a TV licence to watch TV, if we are caught without paying the licence we get fined £1000 or a prison sentence). OR you could download TV programs from the internet.
And dear, do you folks pay. "A colour TV Licence costs £139.50. A black and white TV Licence costs £47.00." To pay that every year would cause riots in America, save for the fact that rioting would require the obese to get off the couch and engage in an outdoor activity.
I hate the TV-Licence. That's why I don't watch TV and don't pay for a licence. It doesn't stop them harassing you constantly though. They just assume you're breaking the law. In this country you're guilty until proven innocent. If you start a new job that involves under 18s we must pay £38 for a CRB (criminal records bureau) check before we can work. They expire every 3 years... So we have to pay to prove that we aren't kiddy fiddlers now. The UK is awesome...
