A dad has claimed victory against TV Licensing after he stopped paying for the service to use streaming platforms on his PlayStation instead. Currently, a TV licence is priced at £174.50 annually and permits viewing of BBC content and live broadcasts from other channels like ITV and Channel 4, through an aerial or streaming services.
However, what many people who have received intimidating letters regarding their TV licence may not know is that you don’t actually need one in many situations, and can lawfully pay nothing provided you stay within the rules—a fact Lee Stuart from Kirkby has now demonstrated in court.
Lee Stuart faced a visit from a TV Licensing official last year and clarified that he did not watch live television or even possess an aerial. Mr Stuart recounted: “I told him I just watch Netflix and Amazon Prime through the PlayStation, and he asked me if I used BBC iPlayer and I said, ‘no’.”
Following this, the inspector went over Mr Stuart’s statements and requested his signature on a document before leaving, reports the Express.
Nevertheless, Mr Stuart later received a Single Justice Procedure Notice by mail, which is a kind of prosecutorial notice in court. Choosing to challenge it, Mr Stuart represented himself in court, arguing that the licensing officer falsely claimed on the form that Mr Stuart had watched the news and denied the inspector entry.
Sefton Magistrates Court threw out the case on account of a lack of evidence. In response, a spokesperson for TV Licensing remarked: “This was reviewed by TV Licensing following the court hearing in April 2025 as is standard practice, and no failings were highlighted.”
Mr Stuart was found to be justified under the regulations set forth by TV Licensing.
According to TV Licensing’s regulations, a TV Licence must be obtained for any of the following activities:
- watch or record TV on any channel via any TV service (such as Sky, Virgin, Freeview, Freesat)
- watch live content on streaming services (e.g. ITVX, Channel 4, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Now, Sky Go)
- use BBC iPlayer at all
The circumstances where you’re not required to have a TV Licence include:
- Watching DVDs or Blu Rays
- Watching Netflix, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime Video or Apple TV as long as the content isn’t live
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