Bosses still risking fines over office World Cup skivers

Bosses that let staff watch the World Cup on broadband have been warned they could be fined 1,000 if they do not have a TV licence.

With the BBC streaming more than 50 hours of World Cup football to UK internet users, the TV Licensing Authority says it is poised to target businesses that break the rules.
Mark Higgins, head of employment at national law firm Betesh Fox explains the law:

The law says that anyone who uses a TV, or any other device that can receive TV signals, must buy a licence. This includes video recorders, set-top boxes and DVD recorders. Youíll also need a licence if you can watch live broadcasts on your computer if it is at the same time as they are being shown on TV.

Before now, this has not been a major problem as very few programmes are available simultaneously on air and online. Computer users only needed a TV licence if they had a special video card that could receive TV signals.

But the TV Licensing Authority now says watching the BBCís World Cup coverage over broadband will require a licence.

This is to stop people receiving TV programmes for free on their computer when they would have to pay to see them on a regular television, explains Higgins.

Businesses are less likely to have TVs in the workplace and are therefore less likely to possess a licence - so the Licensing Authority wants to clamp down on employers who let their staff watch the World Cup online. The cost to businesses varies, but they will generally only require one licence to cover an entire building.

TV Licences are available online from the Licensing Authorityís website. You can also purchase one from the Post Office, or at one of the 14,000 PayPoint outlets across the UK. A colour TV Licence costs 131.50 and a black and white licence costs 44. There are some concessions for the blind, and there is no charge for people over the age of 75.