Brits with a Netflix subscription are at risk of receiving a staggering £1,000 fine for watching one particular show. The nation’s most popular streaming service introduced airing live programs, which could come at a cost for UK viewers.
Everybody’s Live with John Mulaney is landing on the subscription site, which ventures into the world of late-night chat shows—a different offering for those who opt for a film or binge-watch their favourite shows on the platform. The show will be broadcast live on Netflix from 2am on Friday (10 p.m. ET). However, Brits will need to be armed with more than just snacks when settling down to view the program—a TV licence will also be required.
Despite paying for a monthly subscription to use the site, UK viewers may be slapped with a huge fine for just switching onto the new show.
“Under UK law, any live television broadcast requires a valid TV Licence, regardless of the streaming platform,” head of legal operations at Lawhive, Daniel McAfee, told the MailOnline.
Everybody’s Live first launched in January, and the host, John, is said to have had Hollywood A-listers in stitches.
“This will be the one place where you [might] see Arnold Schwarzenegger sitting next to Nikki Glaser sitting next to a family therapist with music by Mannequin Pussy,” he told the crowd at the Egyptian Theatre.
“This is a really fun experiment. Not since Harry and Meghan has Netflix given more money to someone without a specific plan.”
This is not the first time concerns surround having a TV licence when using the streaming service. The same issue was raised over the airing of WWE’s flagship weekly wresting show WWE Raw in January.
However, WWE’s NXT and SmackDown live shows were also available to watch on the subscription service. Viewers have been able to watch Raw on a variety of networks, including USA Network, TNN/Spike TV, USA Network and Netflix.
Netflix chief content officer, Bela Bajaria said: “We are excited to have WWE Raw, with its huge and passionate multigenerational fan base, on Netflix.
“By combining our reach, recommendations, and fandom with WWE, we’ll be able to deliver more joy and value for their audiences and our members.”
