UK homes could get £1,401 bill for streaming platforms in TV Licence change

The Government is considering alternative funding options for the TV Licence. This could include a 'streaming tax' which might see users of some streaming platforms forced to contribute towards the upkeep of BBC services - even if they do not watch live TV.

Customers with subscriptions with Netflix, Disney Plus or Amazon Prime Video could be affected. If this rule were to come into force, it could mean that households looking to access every major available service might have to pay even more.

This could lead to a bill of £1,401.84 per year including the TV Licence fee. But at this stage, a 'streaming tax' is just one suggestion being proposed.

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How much every UK streaming service costs for a year with no ads:

These are the prices for each service's cheapest ad-free tier, in at least HD, for one year of subscribing, Express reports.

• Disney Plus - One of Standard HD year without ads - £89.90 per year (£129.90 for 4K Ultra HD)

• Netflix - £131.88 for a year (Standard HD - no ads), or £215.88 for 4K Ultra HD

• Amazon Prime Video - £130.88 without ads (£95 for a year, plus £2.99 per month for 12 months to go ad-free, adding £35.88). Includes 4K

• Paramount Plus - £70.99 per year without ads, includes 4K

• Apple TV - £107.88 per year - no ads and 4K included

• NowTV Entertainment & Cinema - £209.88 with no ads (£13.99 for the first 6 months, then £19.99 for the second six months. Also includes £6 a month Boost to remove ads, totalling £60)

As long as you do not watch live content, you can use all of these services with no ads and no TV Licence. In total, these services are £741.41 for the full year.

If you want to add the £174.50 TV Licence, it would bring the cost to £915.91. If you add sports, then the prices would be:

• NOW TV Sports (which is from Sky Sports ) - £365.94 (£26 for the first six months, then £34.99 for six months)

• DAZN, which is £119.99 for a year

This brings the total to £1,401.84 with NowTV Sky Sports or £1,091.41 with just DAZN. It's important to remember you always need a TV Licence to stream live sports.

If the TV Licence fee was expanded to cover using any streaming service, then the £174.50 cost of a TV licence from April 2025 would bring the total to £915.91 for all non-sports ad-free streaming services and £1,404.84 for all streaming services including live sport.