Employers in Milton Keynes warned about TV licence regulations for Euro matches

Football fans around the UK are all set to enjoy the European football tournament playing out live on their TVs, laptops, tablets and smartphones next week, but some may have to arrange an afternoon off to make sure their employer is kept happy.
News. Photo: ShutterstockNews. Photo: Shutterstock
News. Photo: Shutterstock

The most talked about match of the draw is England v Wales, with the Group B game in the French city of Lens kicking off at 2pm on Thursday 16 June.

Many workers in Milton Keynes will be leaving their desks to cheer on their favoured team in front of the canteen TV while some may choose to live stream the match on their work computer.

According to recent research, only one in three employees feel informed about the rules when it comes to watching live TV at work. To help managers inform their teams, TV Licensing has developed a Workplace Viewing Guide which provides simple guidance for workplace leaders and staff who want to watch the tournament at work.

28 per cent of employees at a permanent workplace in England said they would watch a big sporting event at work such as the Euros, if the TV viewing policy allowed it.

“With such a key fixture as England v Wales, taking place during office hours, employers in Milton Keynes may be tempted to bring TVs in to the workplace or let staff watch on their computers, mobiles or tablets so everyone can catch all the live sporting action,” said Ben Craig, spokesperson for TV Licensing, in London and the South East said.

“It’s important businesses know the law around live TV being shown in the workplace. A TV Licence is needed if anyone - staff or customers - watches or records TV programmes at the same time as they are shown on any device.”

Business owners and managers should visit tvlicensing.co.uk/businessinfo and download the Workplace Viewing Guide for display in a prominent part of the workplace, so everyone is clear when a licence is needed.

Your licence for your home address covers you to watch live TV on any equipment away from your address as long as it is powered by batteries. If you plug it in to the mains, you need to be covered by a licence at the place you are using it.

The England v. Wales match will be shown at 1.30pm on BBC One, Thursday 16 June.