Tuning In The Global Village : Cost of Viewing TV

Some countries require a TV owner to get a license or to pay a user’s fee or tax just to turn on the television. Annual cost to operate a television: Italy--$250 Germany--$220 Belgium--$205 Britain--$160 Israel--$150.71 Japan--$133.68 (for a color set) France--$100 (color) Netherlands--$95 Singapore--$62.50 (color) South Africa--$60 Croatia--$36 Poland--$30 Malaysia--$9.60

How Much Do They Watch? Average hours of television watched daily in selected countries: Persian Gulf region--6 hours French-speaking Belgium--4.5 hours France--3.75 hours (15-year-olds) Spain--3.5 hours (during peak winter viewing) Japan--3.44 hours Flemish-speaking Belgium--2.25 hours SOURCE: Times Staff Writers and Special Correspondents