SM Sorry I've not been around for a day or so.
Seville may have been within the satellite footprint. A couple of years ago it was rumoured that the satellite signal footprint would be narrowed and people in Spain would not be able to receive the UK programmes, but I'm not sure whether this ever came to anything. There was a lot of talk on the expat sites that I belonged to and many people obtained VPNs so they could get the TV programs on the internet. There are also lots of firms who offer packages in Spain including satellite installation and programmes packet probably some cable firms too. I'm not sure of the legality of all of this.

I do remember in 2013 staying in a hotel in Menorca and we were able watch a good selection of UK programmes on the TV but a few years later reading reviews of the hotel I read that only the UK News channels were available.

Judith, it was a few years back - probably even earlier than 2013 and things can change so quickly. Out of curiousity I looked to see if I could find up to date details for the apartment and see if it said anything about TV but it looks as if she's no longer renting it out - or at least not through the agent I booked with. Anyway, we've drifted a long way off topic :-)

i live in Spain in an area outside the $ky footprint now.
i access i-player, tv hub, channels 4 and 5 and uk tv play through a VPN that costs me €5pm.
for my normal TV i use a streaming service which costs me €8pm and gives me access to all uk channels including $ky sport and movies. i also get BT sports etc and a host of other countries TV channels as well as a multitude of movies and box sets( in total over 5000 channels updated daily).
works really well for me and some other ex pats

An interesting little thought (well it is to me) - A TV licence costs £145 - a FULL Sky package costs £75 so which is better value? People are complaining about the cost/having to have a TV licence but are happy to fork out for Sky/Virgin/BT all of which give you not only the BBC channels but all the myraid of others plus movies and sport. I won't argue the rights or wrongs of a TV licence fee but I wonder if part of the problem is value for money. Many other channels offer catch up in one form or another so the idea of the BBC becoming a subscription service is not quite as bad as it may seem. Personally I think the BBC has become so large it no longer does what it is supposed to do. It would be far better if it reverted back to being a Public Service broadcaster and left it to the commercial channels to provide a broader spectrum of entertainment - it would also be far cheaper.

I don't have Sky - I use Virgin - but surely if you have Sky it includes all the BBC channels? And if you want to view those BBC Channels, legally you need a licence and hence the full cost is the cost of your Sky subscription PLUS the cost of the licence fee? Or can you exclude all the BBC channels from your Sky package? I know Sky are starting to put out more of their own original commissioned programming but on the whole Sky is a mechanism for viewing whereas the BBC is one of the content producers.

I'm quite taken with the idea of the BBC becoming a subscription service and would happily continue to pay my licence fee in that way because it would mean that it would cut down on the freeloading that no doubt takes place at the moment. It would mean that if you don't subscribe via your TV provider then you don't get to access BBC output via either the live broadcast, or iPlayer via their catch-up service.

Here's another thought - if everybody who watched BBC output actually paid for it then perhaps the cost of a licence would fall?

I have spent a little time reading about the licence and itshistory (Yes I am a little sad) and I am still of the opinion that the licence
fee is nothing to do with the BBC but is a licence to operate a television
receiver. There have been many challenges over the years with people having
their TVs modified so they could not access the BBC, but they have not
succeeded.We do however need to consider the whole TV reception topic;it is not just the BBC. If people view programmes online then there has to be
some controls and a fee will have to be paid. Making the programmes we watch no matter how abysmal some of them are costs money. When ITV began then financially
it was a success in fact almost an embarrassment with the money rolling in from
advertising. Since that time the independent section has grown although the
adverting income has become less having spread due to all the new
channels/companies that have entered the market. It is interesting to look at
the viewing figures for the various channels, often very low. It is doubtful that the licence fee topic will be reviewedby the government anytime soon – it might not be ideal but the BBC has grown to
such a size that any attempt to properly reform it will be opposed by the
varied self interest groups.There is of course something else to consider. Just how muchtime do we have to view these programmes – there are still only 24 hours in a
day.

Over 90% of the money gathered from the TV licencing system does now go to the BBC with the remaining money funding the Welsh language channel and some infrastructure provision. So it looks to me that whatever the historical situation, it is now a major source of funding for BBC output and provision.

https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/topics/what-does-your-licence-fee-pay-for-top13

As a shift worker I would not cope without catchup it's a wonderful invention and I can watch my shows when I want. I can't get virgin where I live which is annoying so have BT. Everything these days is a rip off to be fair.