Not everyone will need to pay the fee, but others will and may not even know it
TV Licence rules can be hard to navigate (Image: Getty)
Amazon Prime and Netflix subscribers could need to pay £180 charge, depending on what they watch.
Households across the UK currently pay £180 a year for a colour TV Licence or £60.50 for a black-and-white licence after the annual fee increased on April 1, 2026.
While many people think a TV Licence only covers watching the likes of the BBC, that’s not the case. Your TV Licence lets you enjoy a huge range of TV beyond the BBC. It covers you for:
- All TV channels like BBC, ITV, Channel 4, U&Dave and international channels
- Pay TV services like Sky, Virgin Media and EE TV
- Live TV on streaming services – like YouTube, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video
- Everything on BBC iPlayer
- Watching, recording and downloading on any device
TV Licensing confirms that in some cases, people will need it to watch certain shows on Amazon Prime, Netflix and YouTube.
Do you need a TV Licence to watch Amazon Prime?
Again, this depends on what you are watching. It notes: “If you’re watching TV showing live on Amazon Prime, you need to be covered by a TV Licence. You don’t need a TV Licence if you’re only watching on demand programmes on Amazon Prime.”
Do I need a TV Licence to watch Netflix?
It depends. Officials note: “If you are watching a TV programme that is being broadcast live on Netflix, you need to be covered by a TV Licence. You don’t need a TV Licence to watch on-demand programmes on Netflix.”
Do I need a TV Licence to watch Youtube?
TV officials confirm: “If you are watching a TV programme live on YouTube, you need to be covered by a TV Licence. A licence is not required to view user-generated content, clips and videos on YouTube.
“This includes live-streamed content that is not part of a television broadcast. Or being broadcast at the same time by other means.”
A YouTube Premium subscription doesn’t replace a TV Licence. If you’re watching live TV on the platform, you still need a TV Licence.
Do I need a TV Licence to use Freely?
Yes. TV Licencing stresses: “Freely is the newest way to stream live and on demand TV, all in one place. If you’re watching broadcast TV on Freely, you need to be covered by a TV Licence.
“You don’t need a TV Licence to watch on demand programmes via Freely, except on BBC iPlayer.”
Do you need a TV Licence to watch Disney Plus?
No. “You don’t need a TV Licence to watch on demand programmes on Disney Plus”, it says.