TV Licence Amazon Prime rules as UK households may be fined £1,000

You might settle down to watch your favourite series on Amazon Prime without giving it a second thought - perhaps Elle or Clarkson's Farm. But some UK households may need to be more careful, as viewers could face a fine of up to £1,000.

TV Licensing guidance says a Licence may still be required for some programmes watched via streaming services - and that includes Prime. TV Licensing officials state: "If you’re watching TV showing live on Amazon Prime, you need to be covered by a TV Licence."

It further confirms: "You don’t need a TV Licence if you’re only watching on-demand programmes on Amazon Prime."

People may assume a TV Licence isn’t needed if they pay for Prime, but Amazon's subscription fee only covers access to Prime perks - such as free one-day delivery, on-demand streaming through Prime Video and Prime Music and additional discounts.

Paying for Amazon and a TV Licence "means you can legally watch live programmes on Amazon Prime, so you can make the most of everything included with your subscription", TV Licensing confirms.

A licence is needed to watch any live TV programme as well as BBC iPlayer .

The TV Licence fee changed on April 1, 2026. A colour licence now costs £180, while a black-and-white licence costs £60.50.

If you’re blind (severely sight impaired), you can still apply for a 50% concession, reducing the cost of a colour licence to £90.

TV Licensing says it may visit your address to check whether you need a TV Licence. If it’s found that you’ve been watching, recording or streaming programmes without the correct licence, you could face prosecution.

You could also face a fine of up to £1,000, plus any legal costs and/or compensation the court orders. In Guernsey, the maximum fine is £2,000, with legal costs and/or compensation potentially added on top.