It's all there in black and white

There are over 7000 black and white TV Licences are still in force across the UK, although numbers are steadily declining.

Despite an increase in the use of smart televisions, as well as tablets and smart-phones to access TV content, 566 households in Northern Ireland are spurning 21st Century technology in favour of nostalgic monochrome TV sets.

According to this year’s figures, County Antrim leads the way with 165 black and white licences, followed by County Tyrone with 157 monochrome licences.

The number of black and white licences issued each year has, however, steadily been declining. In 2000 there were 212,000 black and white TV Licences in force, but by 2003 that number had shrunk to 93,000. By 2015, the number had dipped below 10,000.

Karen Grimason, TV Licensing, said: “Over half of the UK’s TVs now connect to the internet, so it’s interesting that more than 7,000 households still choose to watch their favourite shows on a black and white telly.

“Whether you watch on a 50-year-old TV set or in colour on a tablet, you need to be covered by a TV Licence to watch or record programmes as they are broadcast. You also need to be covered by a TV Licence to download or watch BBC programmes on iPlayer, on any device.”