Business TV Licence
If anyone on your premises — staff or customers — watches or records live TV on any channel or service, or watches BBC iPlayer, you need a TV Licence in the name of the business.
If anyone on your premises — staff or customers — watches or records live TV on any channel or service, or watches BBC iPlayer, you need a TV Licence in the name of the business. It is separate from any home licence you hold personally, and it covers one premises unless you buy a group licence for multiple sites.
Showing live TV without a licence is a criminal offence and TV Licensing carries out checks on commercial premises. Sports and match-day screens are exactly what enforcement visits target.
Covers one premises; ask about a Company Group Licence for multiple sites.
Who this is for
Any bar, pub, restaurant or cafe showing live TV — sport on a screen, breakfast news for customers, or a radio simulcast that includes live broadcast content.
No exemption for occasional or low-volume use — a single live broadcast on a single screen still needs the licence.
What you’ll hold
- TV Licence confirmation
Watch out for
- Relying on the previous occupier's licence. A TV Licence is not tied to the building — you need your own in the business's name from day one of trading.
- Only licensing the main bar TV. Every screen on the premises showing live broadcast content is covered by the one licence, but only if the licence itself is in place at all — there is no per-screen exemption to rely on.
- Confusing it with TheMusicLicence. A TV Licence covers watching live broadcasts; it does not cover playing music separately from a speaker or streaming service.
Sources
- TV Licensing — Business and organisations checked 2026-09-02
See also
This is item 62 of 66 in the free UK Launch Checklist. See the whole list →