TV Licensing
Businesses and organisations
As the owner, director or manager, you'll need to ensure your premises is correctly licensed. If anyone watches or records television programmes as they're being shown on TV, using a device that you have provided, your premises must be covered by a TV Licence.* This includes the use of devices such as a TV set, computer, laptop, mobile phone or DVD/VHS recorder. The law may differ depending on the circumstances, so please follow the links in the table below to make sure you're covered.
It costs £145.50 for a colour and £49.00 for a black and white TV Licence.
If you have a single business premises, in most cases you will need only one TV Licence.
If you have multiple business premises, the easiest way to cover your business is with a Company Group Licence.
*If your employees, customers or visitors are using their own device and it is powered solely by its own internal batteries, then they will be covered by their own TV Licence (provided they have one).
Topics
- Shops and offices
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You need one TV Licence to cover all TVs used at a single shop or office site. This won’t cover residential accommodation, welfare or social clubs and other businesses or organisations within your premises.
- Hotels, hostels, mobile units and campsites
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You need a hotel and mobile units TV Licence to cover areas where a TV receiver is installed.
- Clubs and communities
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You need one TV Licence to cover all TVs used at a single club or community group site. This won’t cover residential accommodation, other separate clubs or groups and other businesses or organisations within your premises.
- Residential landlords
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You need to ensure that your property is covered by a valid TV Licence if your tenants watch or record TV as it’s being broadcast. The TV Licence is your responsibility if you installed the TV, unless your contract specifies that it’s the tenants’ responsibility.
- Residential care homes
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You need a TV Licence to cover all communal areas. Residents need a separate licence for their own living area. Residential care homes may qualify for the Accommodation for Residential Care (ARC) scheme. This can entitle residents to a reduced fee TV Licence of £7.50.
- Schools and colleges
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You need one TV Licence to cover all TVs used at a single school or college site. This licence will also cover any other sites which are under the control of the same senior official and in the same town. This won’t cover residential accommodation, welfare or social clubs and other businesses or organisations within your premises.
- TV dealers
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You need to register with us as a TV dealer and provide full customer details for each sale and rental. This includes new or second-hand TVs, DVD/Video recorders, digital boxes, TV enabled computers and PCs with broadcast TV cards.
- Hospitality
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You need a hospitality TV Licence to cover areas where a TV receiver is installed. A hospitality area is any premises, other than a hotel, that provides rooms, corporate boxes or other similar places (units) for guests’ entertainment. Your licence fee will be based on the number of ‘units’ in which a TV receiver is installed or used.
- Armed forces administrators
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You need a TV Licence to cover all TVs used in Ministry of Defence (MOD) accommodation, on or off base. This covers working areas, such as a cookhouse, guardroom, classroom and communal areas in junior ranks accommodation blocks. Your base’s licence won’t cover other communal areas (e.g. messes or clubs), service family or single living accommodation, multi-occupancy room or HM Ships.
- Hospitals
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You need one TV Licence to cover all TVs used at the hospital premises, including communal areas, waiting rooms, wards and staff rooms. This TV Licence won’t cover residential accommodation, welfare or social clubs and other businesses or organisations within your premises.
- Sheltered accommodation
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As a manager of sheltered accommodation, you need to ensure that your organisation is covered by a valid TV Licence if residents watch or record TV as it’s being broadcast. This includes the use of devices such as a TV, computer, mobile phone or DVD recorder.
