TV Licence renewal
Your business TV Licence runs for 12 months and has to be renewed every year — it does not carry on automatically just because payment details are on file, unless you have specifically set up continuous payment.
Your business TV Licence runs for 12 months and has to be renewed every year — it does not carry on automatically just because payment details are on file, unless you have specifically set up continuous payment.
Showing live TV — including sport, the reason most venues have a screen at all — without a valid licence is a criminal offence, and TV Licensing carries out checks on commercial premises.
Check whether you are on a rolling Direct Debit or need to actively renew — the two are not the same.
Who this is for
Any bar, pub, restaurant or cafe showing live TV.
What you’ll hold
- Renewed TV Licence confirmation
Watch out for
- Assuming a card on file means it renews itself. Unless you specifically hold a continuous payment arrangement, a one-off renewal has to be actioned each year.
- Missing the renewal notice because it goes to an old manager's email address after a staff change — update the contact details on the account, not just at the till.
- Only checking the main screen. Every screen showing live broadcast content on the premises needs the one licence to be valid, so a lapse affects all of them at once.
Sources
- TV Licensing — Business and organisations checked 2026-09-02
See also
- Business TV Licence— this becomes part of getting open →
This is item 56 of 60 in the free UK Compliance Calendar. See the whole list →