Do Sky/Now TV Give Customer Information To BBC TV Licensing?

[xinam]

Maybe only for the mods to be able to answer, but I thought I'd save myself the time of trying to contact customer services with this query, which they probably wouldn't know the answer to anyway.

Does Sky/Now TV pass customer details onto BBC TV Licensing?

Would Sky/Now TV voluntarily surrender this information at the request of BBC TV Licensing? How are Sky/Now TV going to handle the potential change in legislation that will force service providers to hand over private customer details to this third party?

Thanks.

[Anonymous User]

A NOW TV box and a NOW TV subscription are two different things. Unless there is a change of law Sky (and any seller of TV equipment) don't have to inform TV Licensing.

---

The Wireless Telegraphy Act of 1967 (as amended) has been repealed meaning that from 25 June 2013 onwards, TV dealers are no longer required to notify TV Licensing when they sell or rent out TV equipment.

Source: TV Licensing and the law

---

[xinam]

Thanks for the reply but you misunderstand my query. Yes, the Dealer Notification Scheme ended 3 or 4 years ago. This is about customer information being requested by TVL and willingly surrendered by Sky, with the purpose of cross-referencing with their (un)licensed database. Think of it as the modern replacement of the now defunct Dealer Notification Scheme. BT have been proven to be handing over customer details voluntarily for some time.

[Anonymous User]

@xinam I thought at first that your question was as a result of the proposed law change that will require a TV licence to watch BBC iPlayer.

I do have a licence ( free over 75) but have been wondering how the rules will be applied.

[xinam]

No, I'm fully in favour of incorporating the iPlayer into the Licence Fee - closing the 'loophole' they created themselves. Indeed, it's the first tacit acknowledgement that the Licence Fee is for BBC services only, of course we're some way off a self-sufficient BBC unfortunately.

Are you tempted by their invitation for over-75s being able to voluntarily pay for a TV Licence and not take up the 'free' one??

[xinam]

Still waiting for an official Yes or No answer to this question?

[ukbobboy]

@xinam

Hi Xiam

First, my post will be based purely on my own experience rather than any objective information.

OK, organisations, companies, etc. tend to keep their dealings with official and quasi-official bodies very secret, i.e. information asked for and supplied.  Unfortunately, until the passing of the "Freedom of Information Act" this has always been seen as normal, i.e. colloquially considered to be "the norm".

And even now this "don't tell" attitude is still very much prevalent throughout the UK, so unless you make an official FOI request you are unlikely to receive an answer. 

UK Bob

[xinam]

Hi Bob. Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately FOIs only apply to government organisations. The BBC always hide behind their TV Licensing gestappo, Capita where difficult questions are concerned, who are of course are a commercial organisation not bound by FOI requests. The same apples to Sky-NowTV.

I think it's in the interests of sky customers to know if there is data sharing going on with this third party (BBC TV Licensing).

[SeeMoreDigital]

---

@xinam wrote:
I think it's in the interests of sky customers to know if there is data sharing going on with this third party (BBC TV Licensing).

---

@xinam,

The term 'data' can mean anything. I very much doubt that NOW TV are passing customer names and addresses to TV Licensing. There's no requirement for them to do-so as NOW TV is an internet based service!

Cheers

[xinam]

Now TV also offers live TV streaming. The fact it's delivered over Internet is irrelevant. A TV Licence is still required to legally view the Live TV components.

Sky have been named in court during TVL prosecutions as providing BBC TV Licensing prosecutors with information regarding defendants having Sky subscriptions.