Reply #5: If we're talking about the UK model, then no.

[Kutjara]

You only have to buy a TV License if you actually own a TV. Supposedly, the TV Licensing folks drive around in "Detector Vans" which contain equipment able to tell if a particular household is using a tv or not, levying fines on miscreants engaged in unlicensed viewage. Whether these vans actually work or are merely a scare tactic, you do have to provide your name and address to the retailer whenever you buy a TV (so I'm guessing that's how they catch 99% of the scofflaws).

Unfortunately, the license only funds the BBC, so if you stray from their handful of channels, you're right back in the land of commercial television. Considering Rupert Murdoch's BSkyB satellite has a virtual monopoly on "non-terrestrial" broadcasting, UK TV has quickly come to resemble its American cousin.

Sadly, the BBC, in order to attract viewers and justify its privileged position, has had to (at least partially) join the race to the bottom. You can see the results on BBC America. Where once was lavishly produced period drama, hard hitting documentary, and challenging reportage, now lives "Britain's Worst Teeth," "Celebrity Fat Club," and "My Boob Job Nightmare."