TV Licensing

You’ve got mail: 4.2m say yes to email TV Licence

TV Licensing today revealed more than 4.2m customers have opted to forgo their traditional paper TV Licence, and to receive their annual licence by email instead.

The surge online has helped reduce the cost of collecting the TV Licence by more than £15m in the past 12 months.

Licence fee payers who moved their licence online directly contributed to this annual saving. More than a million customers across the UK switched to email communication with TV Licensing in the last financial year.

More people are choosing to receive household bills and information by email, amid growing concern for the environment. Although TV Licensing uses sustainably sourced or recycled paper for all direct mail, the paper saved as a result of electronic communications accounts for around 1,600 trees across the UK.

Aside from the environmental impact, customers who move their licence online benefit from the speed and simplicity of being able to access their licence details over email. Customers can change their personal details or view payment plans, at any time on the TV Licensing website.

Hope Connolly, spokesperson for TV Licensing said:

Keeping on top of your own filing and paperwork can be a hassle. Switching to email allows customers to keep track of their licence and keep their details up-to-date from the comfort of their sofa.

It’s easy to pay for a TV Licence, and there’s a range of payment options to suit most people. We’re seeing more people paying by Direct Debit, and the online payment trend continues to grow. More than 2.75m licences were sold online last year via our website, up almost 250,000 from the previous year.

A TV Licence is legally required to watch TV programmes at the same time as they are shown on TV, whether on a computer, TV, or via the internet on a tablet or smart phone. A licence costs £145.50 and can be bought in minutes online at tvlicensing.co.uk

Number of customers who receive their TV Licence over email correct as at April 2013. Regeneration source: www.replanttrees.org (opens in a new window). Calculation based on 4.2m pieces of TV Licensing direct mail.