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You and Yours: Esports, Smart meter tariffs, Car subscriptions

World Cup travel; Vodafone fraud; Pinterest gardening

13/07/2018

Esports, Smart meter tariffs, Car subscriptions

BBC Radio 4 - You and Yours, Esports, Smart meter tariffs, Car subscriptions

Smart meter tariffs, renting a car long term and esports education.

Consumer news and issues. Energy firms are only offering the best deals to people with smart meters. Plus a look at renting a car long term, and how to get a career in esports.

Research commissioned for You and Yours has found that five out of the "big six" energy companies reserve their cheapest tariffs for people who have smart meters, or have agreed to get one installed. The energy companies say the reduced costs associated with running smart meters allow them to offer cheaper rates, but critics say it's just another tactic to persuade us to get a smart meter. The energy companies face fines if they don't offer everyone a smart meter by 2020, a deadline set by the government.

Paying for things by subscription instead of owning them outright is becoming the norm. Mobile phones, music and TV streaming, newspaper websites - all regularly form part of our monthly outgoings. Now that model has been extended to running a car, with a new service that allows motorists to 'rent' a car with a monthly payment that includes tax and insurance. 

It might seem an impossible dream to your average bedroom gamer, but it's possible to earn hundreds of thousands of pounds playing video games. Esports, where gamers compete in front of an audience of thousands, with millions more watching online, is big business. As the industry grows, a college in Liverpool is now offering the world's first officially recognised qualification to help school leavers find a job in Esports. We went along to the open day to find out more.

Producer: Simon Hoban
Presenter: Peter White.

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