After securing a 1-0 win against Serbia, England are next due to take to the pitch on Thursday for their Euros 2024 match against Denmark. Kick off is at 5pm, meaning many may be sticking around in the office to watch the game with colleagues. But as bosses hope to let their employees enjoy the Euros over the next month, they may be forced to rethink their plans if they don’t have a valid TV licence in place.
Research from Office Freedom found that in shared office spaces, the majority of premises are not covered by one TV licence. It is on individual businesses using the spaces to ensure they have their own TV licence in order for their company to watch.
If caught without one, then businesses could be liable under the law for a fine of £1,000. According to new survey data from Office Freedom, 1 in 4 (25.7%) currently work within an office in a co-working space. Shared office spaces may already have a TV licence to cover communal areas such as the kitchen or any seating areas, but individual offices must have their own licence in order to avoid breaching regulations in place.
So for those hoping to enjoy the afternoon kick-offs, which includes England’s second fixture in the group stages against Denmark, this could put a dent in their plans if their office doesn’t have its own licence in place. In the UK, anyone found to be watching, downloading or streaming without a valid TV licence, is liable for a £1,000 fine – and this includes watching live TV through on demand services such as BBC iPlayer, as well as streaming services like YouTube and Amazon Prime Video.
A spokesperson for Office Freedom said: “With matches being played through afternoons and early evenings, we can imagine many businesses will be eager to allow staff to tune in to watch the action while they are at work. But with so many now operating in shared office spaces – accommodating around a quarter of workers in the UK, according to survey research – it is important for companies to check if they have a valid TV licence in place.
“The onus is on individual companies operating in a co-working office to have a licence which covers the company, as existing TV licences in shared office spaces will only cover communal areas. For companies currently leasing a shared office space, we’d urge them to check their TV licence as we would hate for anyone to get caught out just for allowing staff to enjoy the festival of football ahead – and the Olympic Games that follow later this summer.”
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