Amazon Fire Stick warning over £1000 fine for simple mistake this weekend

Amazon Fire Stick users are being warned they could end up with a £1,000 fine this week. People across the UK are being reminded they need to have a TV Licence to watch live streams on any device.

You also need to have one if you use BBC iPlayer to watch content and for recording live TV. If you do not watch live streaming services or BBC iPlayer, you do not need a TV Licence.

With a big live special on Netflix this week, some users may forget they will actually need a TV Licence to watch it lawfully. This one-off live is for the big Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson boxing match.

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The pair will face off at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in the early hours of Saturday, November 16. The main card is set to start at 1am.

Ring-walks for Paul vs Tyson are expected to begin at about 4am UK time, The Sun reports. This is not Netflix's first live special - there was The Netflix Cup in November 2023.

An annual TV Licence currently costs £169.50, while the maximum fine for not having one is £1,000. A TV Licensing spokesperson said: "A TV Licence is needed to watch live content on streaming services, watch or record a TV programme on any channel and when using BBC iPlayer.

"Further information is available on the TV Licensing website or via the customer services team, who can help with any queries." The TV Licensing website says that live TV means 'any programme you watch or record as it’s being shown on any channel, TV service or streaming service'.

It does not just apply to live events like football, cricket, news and music, but anything watched as it is broadcast. TV Licensing say an online TV service is 'any streaming or smart TV service, website or app that lets you watch TV programmes over the internet'.

If you watch live content, this can include services like Channel 4, Sky Go, Now, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube and ITVX. If you only use them to watch on-demand content, you do not need a TV Licence.