Licence Needed To Watch Matches Online

Companies who let their workers watch World Cup matches at their desks could be in for a nasty surprise if they don’t have a TV licence.

The BBC is streaming games live over the internet and if a business lets its workers watch the matches without having a licence it could receive a £1000 fine.

A report on the BBC website says that over five million workers in the UK have access to high speed broadband and that the TV licensing authority knows “exactly which unlicensed business premises to target.”

The BBC is only able to show matches online that it is broadcasting on television, with the rest of the matches available online in audio.

All of the BBC’s group games are available to stream on its World Cup homepage, as will the subsequent games the BBC has rights for in the knockout stages. The Corporation also has exclusive rights for England’s second round and quarter-final games if the team manages to get that far.

When the deal was announced, Roger Mosey, BBC director of sport, said: “We know a lot of online viewing is done in the office, so we suspect this will allow people both to do their job and to keep up with the very latest action from Germany.” (see BBC To Show World Cup Games Live On Broadband)

BBC: 020 8743 8000 www.bbc.co.uk