Sounds like the RIAA in the US all over again. People turn off their TVs to become more interactive (e.g. computer use) and all of a sudden the media corporations get all up in arms.

Let's face it, despite how much TV people actually watch, TV in its old form (the "idiot box") is evolving and soon there won't be much distinction between TV or a PC. We're already seeing this with TiVo and media centers.

How this all gets sussed out is yet another matter. I suppose the TV license approach is as valid as any and likely better than commercial TV here in the US. The truth is that ALL media producers are going to have to consider that online distribution is the future. TV shows will be downloaded on demand and "through the air" distribution will be tremendously different, probably more useful for real-time news rather than actual entertainment (although I don't see much difference these days.