The BBC is working on ways to use iPlayer to find households that haven’t paid for a TV licence, Money understands.
Online BBC accounts could be linked with home addresses for the first time to help find licence fee evaders.
Any household that watches or records live TV on any channel or uses BBC iPlayer must have a TV licence, which costs £174.50 a year.
The BBC has a duty to collect the licence fee, and sends targeted letters or emails to those it believes are not paying it and should be.
There are concessions available for people who are aged 75 or older and receive Pension Credit, blind people, those who live in qualifying residential care and are disabled or over 60 and businesses that provide overnight accommodation.
Failing to pay the fee can result in a £1,000 fine.
A TV Licensing spokesperson told Money: “We always look at ways to improve how we collect the licence fee. This includes using the data available to us to get a better understanding of viewing habits and use of BBC services.”
The BBC collected £3.8bn from sales of more than 23 million TV licences in 2024–25, but around £550m is thought to have been lost through evasion.
Source: 
news.sky.com
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