MSE 'Netflix hack' means UK households can save £180 per year

MSE 'Netflix hack' means UK households can save £180 per year Bills are not cheap, and finding a way to cut costs without giving up things we love is key.

Key points

• Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.
• TV Licensing confirms: If you are watching a TV programme that is being broadcast live on Netflix, you need to be covered by a TV Licence.
• MSE notes if you only stream Netflix on demand and don't watch any live TV or live-streamed events, you don't need a TV Licence.
• Employ BBC iPlayer – a licence is not needed to watch S4C programmes on demand.
• TV Licensing notes you can be prosecuted for watching, recording or downloading TV programmes without a valid TV Licence.

Funds Saving Expert (MSE) has shared a simple way to cut the cost of your Netflix subscription – and it's nothing to do with putting up with adverts or using any sneaky tricks.

In its list of "18 Netflix hacks" that can support "cut the cost and get more from your subscription", MSE, founded by Martin Lewis, has stated some UK households can save £180 per year. And it's something plenty of may not even think concerning.

MSE notes if you only stream Netflix on demand and don't watch any live TV or live-streamed events, you don't need a TV Licence. It can cut your yearly costs. While a black-and-white TV Licence costs £60.50, a standard TV Licence costs £180.

This annual fee rose on April 1, 2026. MSE adds: "If you don't watch any 'live' television (in other words, programmes currently being shown on a TV channel or news, sports or other events being broadcast as they happen) and you don't watch anything on BBC iPlayer (live or on-demand), then you don't need a TV licence."

TV Licensing confirms: "If you are watching a TV programme that is being broadcast live on Netflix, you need to be covered by a TV Licence. You don't need a TV Licence to watch on-demand programmes on Netflix." Do I need a TV Licence? A TV Licence covers you to.

This applies to any device, including a TV, computer, laptop, phone, tablet, games console or digital box. Can I obtain a fine for not having a TV Licence?

TV Licensing notes you can be prosecuted for watching, recording or downloading TV programmes without a valid TV Licence. If you're convicted, you could face a fine of up to £1, 000, plus any court-ordered legal costs and compensation. In Guernsey, the maximum fine is higher with the fine going up to £2, 000.

In short, MSE ' Netflix hack' means UK households can save £180 per year is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.