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Was BBC2 colour initially free?
Richardcoulter
Posts: 30,357 Forum Member
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AIUI, BBC2 went colour in 1967, yet the Colour Supplement to the TV Licence didn't start until 1968.
Does this mean that people had colour TV at no extra cost for a time?
Was this deliberate to drive up take up of the new service (in the same way that Sky was initially free until enough homes had the service installed)?
Did those with a colour TV in preparation for the new service need a colour licence if there wasn't a colour signal yet available?
The TV was technologically capable of receiving colour pictures, but in the literal sense of the word 'capable', it couldn't if there was no colour signal available.
At a guess I'd say that they didn't, but as soon as their local TX was colourised, they'd need the appropriate licence.
Does this mean that people had colour TV at no extra cost for a time?
Was this deliberate to drive up take up of the new service (in the same way that Sky was initially free until enough homes had the service installed)?
Did those with a colour TV in preparation for the new service need a colour licence if there wasn't a colour signal yet available?
The TV was technologically capable of receiving colour pictures, but in the literal sense of the word 'capable', it couldn't if there was no colour signal available.
At a guess I'd say that they didn't, but as soon as their local TX was colourised, they'd need the appropriate licence.
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Interesting that the TV licence today is cheaper in real terms at £145.50, yet much more is provided.
Yes .. Tony hall has this one sheet of paper
http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/bbc-20-years-comp.pdf
Now you've done it!
This thread will be 60 pages long by the morning and your OP wont be mentioned once.
So long as you don't want TV programmes that are worth watching!
Maybe you should ask the mods to delete all the posts about this from that point on.
I'm not making any statement about the rights or wrongs about the TV licence system, i'm just curious as to the history of it during the changeover to colour.
It seems to be the usual case of the law taking time to catch up with new technology.
Can people who wish to discuss this please a use more appropriate thread
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_licensing_in_the_United_Kingdom#History
The BBC started regular TV transmissions in colour from the summer of 1967.[47] On 1 January 1968, a 'colour supplement' of £5 was added to the existing £5 monochrome licence fee; the combined colour licence fee was therefore £10, the equivalent of £156.4 as of 2015. The current (2010–2016) cash cost is £145.50 for colour TV
Well, just out of interest, so is this site http://blog.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/the-decline-of-black-and-white-tv/
Colour broadcasts began on BBC2 in 1967, arriving on ITV and BBC1 in 1969. To support the costs, colour TV licences were introduced on 1st January 1968, costing £10 – twice the price of the standard £5 black and white TV license. Today, the colour license costs £145.50
and this site http://sixtiescity.net/Television/Licences.htm
1965-1966 Television licences cost £5
1967 Following BBC2's first colour transmissions a £5 supplementary licence is introduced for colour television
1967: Monochrome 14,267,271
1968: Monochrome 15,068,079/colour 20,428
1969: 15,396,642/99,419
1970: 15,609,131/273,397
1971: 15,333,221/609,969
1972: 15,023,691/1,634,760
1973: 13,792,623/3,331,996
1974|: 11,766,424/5,558,146
Source: BBC Handbook 1975
Technology has made programme making much cheaper for one thing.
Of no importance whatever to this thread.
I thought I had read at least one post that answered it quite early in the thread i.e. date of start of colour transmissions and date of start of colour TV LIcence.?
There were no ''free' licences in 1968 although there were reductions for the blind.
Radio-only licences were abolished on February 1, 1971 so from that date television-only licences were issued.
Yes it was likely before said post that could cause issues, thankfully it doesn't seem to have done so!
It was the last labour government who paid for them as part of their social policy.
Adopted by the Conservative government and now left to the BBC to sort out after 2020......
That has to be one of the greatest stitching up of the BBC that any government could inflict. If the BBC end the free licences it's an outrage and if they continue it wastes them millions.
You almost have to admire that level of scheming. It certainly beats the current death by a thousand cuts policy which is in full swing.
I doubt there were any transmitters equipped to carry colour in the summer of 1966 apart from perhaps Crystal Palace.Wikipedia suggests they started in the autumn of 1967.
Before the current 50% discount scheme that the Blair Government introduced, I remember that blind people received a paltry discount of........£1.25!!!
This was obviously introduced many years previously and never uprated.
Thats why those of us that know the truth need to educate everyone we can that its the government actually cutting the over 75s free licences using the BBC as a front!
Then people can rightfully aim their anger at the government and oust them at the next election!