The BBC's digital chief Erik Huggers has called for the closing of a loophole whereby technically speaking users of the Beeb's iPlayer TV-on-demand service do not need a TV licence.

As it currently stands, if you only access BBC programmes on-demand via your PC - ie you don't have a TV in your house - then you don't need a licence. You would, however, if you watched any of the BBC's live simulcasts on the internet.

Enforcement?

Quite how the TV licensing people would be able to easily check whether you used your PC to access on-demand rather than simulcast BBC programmes is not clear - enforcement against those accessing the Corporation's services online is non-existent.

With the possibility that there could become a small but significant minority of households who access the BBC's TV programmes exclusively via the iPlayer - ie do away with their TV set altogether - and in doing so avoid TV licence obligations, Huggers says the licence fee system needs to be reviewed so to consider online only viewers.

He told the Broadcasting Press Guild:

"My view is that if you are using the iPlayer you have to be a television licence fee payer. I don't believe in a free ride. If you are consuming BBC services then you have to be a licence holder. We are seriously looking at the impact on new digital technology on TV licensing".

Additional reporting by CMU Network