Do pubs need a TV licence? What the £180 covers, when a screen needs none, and the rule for an inn with rooms

Yes, if the pub shows or records live television on any channel, or uses BBC iPlayer. A TV Licence costs £180 a year, the same for a business as for a home, and one licence covers a single premises. A pub whose screens only play on-demand programmes from services other than iPlayer does not need one.

The rule and the fee are the same across the UK.

What needs a licence and what does not

The rows are from TV Licensing's pages and GOV.UK. TV Licensing says it plainly for this trade: pubs and other hospitality venues do not need a licence to watch on-demand programmes on any streaming service except BBC iPlayer. The device does not matter: a television, a computer or anything else.

What it costs

GOV.UK gives the fee as £180, or £60.50 for a black and white set, for homes and businesses alike. TV Licensing says a business can pay in one go or spread the cost quarterly, monthly or weekly.

One licence covers one address. TV Licensing says a single property, such as a shop or office, needs only one licence. A business with more than one address needs a licence for each, or a Company Group TV Licence, which is one annual payment for all the properties and is arranged by phone.

TV Licensing does not issue invoices. For the accounts it points to the licence itself, viewed online, or the payment confirmation email.

A function room, a private box, or letting rooms

Two special licences apply to this trade. Both cost £180 for up to 15 units, then £180 for every extra 5 units or fewer.

An accommodation unit is a room, and most of the accommodation must be let for fewer than 28 consecutive nights. The hotel page adds that other areas where a set is installed or used must also be covered, so ask TV Licensing to confirm that the bar is on the same licence as the bedrooms.

Both are applied for on TV Licensing's own form and paid in full by BACS or cheque.

One owner's bill, worked

An owner has two pubs and a 12-room inn.

If the inn had 22 rooms, the first 15 would cost £180 and the other 7 would be two further steps of five or fewer: £180 + 2 × £180 = £540.

Pub two is only free while the screen is never switched to a live channel. One evening of live news in the bar needs the licence.

Staff and customers' own devices

TV Licensing draws the line at the plug.

• A phone or tablet running on its own battery is covered by the licence at its owner's home, if there is one. A customer with a home licence who watches the match on a phone at the bar is covered by it.
• A device plugged into the mains at the pub is not covered by a home licence. A chef's tablet on charge in the kitchen showing live TV needs the pub's address to be licensed.
• Where a member of staff, a customer or a visitor has no licence at home, TV Licensing says the business address must be covered, even for a device on its battery.

What happens if you do not have one

Section 363 of the Communications Act 2003 makes it an offence to install or use a television receiver without a licence. The fine is up to level 3 on the standard scale, which GOV.UK gives as up to £1,000.

If the venue does not need a licence, TV Licensing asks to be told so. Tell it, and keep the declaration true.

What the TV Licence does not cover

• The music in the programmes. PPL PRS says sports programmes carry music in their titles and adverts, so a pub showing them usually needs TheMusicLicence as well. The PRS line for a television in a bar of up to 120 square metres is £128.34 a year plus VAT from 1 October 2026, and our guide to what a music licence costs a pub adds up the rest.
• The subscription. A TV Licence is needed to watch pay TV. It does not replace the contract with the broadcaster. We did not read broadcaster prices for this guide.
• The council's licence. The premises licence sets the hours, and serving through a late kick-off outside them needs a Temporary Event Notice.

Buying a pub

A buyer should ask for the licence number at completion and sign in to check the expiry date. Our guide to transferring a premises licence when you buy a pub has the rest of that list.

A check for this week

1. List every screen and what it shows: live, iPlayer, or on demand only.
2. Count the addresses, and the rooms or units with a set at each.
3. Sign in to each licence and note the expiry date.
4. Put the £180 beside the other fixed yearly costs, such as business rates.
5. Tell TV Licensing about any site that needs no licence.

This is general information, not legal advice. TV Licensing confirms which licence your premises need.