11,000 Britons still use black and white TVs
JUST 11,550 black and white TV licences are still in force in the UK, down from 13,000 last year, with London remaining a stronghold for black and white licensees.
Despite colour television having been around for nearly 48 years – and the digital switchover that forced black and white TV owners to buy additional digital boxes to continue their viewing – a devout 0.04 per cent of households refuse to abandon black and white.
Some 2,334 people in the capital still watch in black and white, paying a reduced £49 for the licence.
“Today’s figures show, even in the digital age, more than 11,000 homes still watch their favourite programmes on black and white televisions,” said TV Licensing spokesperson Emma Cowlard.
“Despite over 25m people opting for a colour TV licence in the UK, it may be some time before the black and white television disappears completely from our living rooms,” said Iain Logie Baird, associate curator at the National Media Museum, and grandson of television inventor John Logie Baird.
A colour TV licence currently costs £145.50, with the prices of licences not due to be reviewed until 2016.