CHANGES to TV Licences will come into effect today in a major shake-up of the service. 

A change in the law means licences will be needed by anyone downloading or watching BBC programmes, including catch-up TV and streaming on BBC iPlayer.

With research showing iPlayer is the most popular form of watching catch-up TV online for students, TV Licensing is aiming to make them aware of the changes - or they could face fines of £1,000.

TV Licensing's research shows that two in three students watch catch-up TV online, with only 22 per cent taking a television with them to university.

Students who already have a licence will be covered automatically, while a licence is not needed to watch other on-demand services such as Netflix or ITV Player.

The new rules apply to all devices, including smart TVs, desktop computers, laptops, mobiles, tablets and games consoles.

TV Licensing spokesman, Ben Craig, believes that catch up TV is "really popular among students" and states that the authority wants to make students aware of these changes in the law.

"From September 1, everyone will need to be covered by a TV Licence to watch BBC TV programmes on demand – including catch up – on iPlayer," he said.

"Students can check at our dedicated TV Licence for students (tvlicensing.co.uk\studentinfo) page whether they are correctly licensed before the big move."

He added: "Of course, you still need to be covered by a licence for all live viewing and recording, no matter which channel you are watching or what device you are watching on.”

If you are at university, you can visit tvlicensing.co.uk\studentinfo, or contact an adviser over the phone on 0300 790 6113.