This is a bit of a rant at the BBC, though I'll make it clear that I don't mind paying the tv licence as I regularly use iplayer and watch live tv.
But they have been putting out false information when being asked what services do you need a tv licence for.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/explainers-51376255Do I have to pay for a TV licence?
The law says that you must have a TV licence if you:
watch or record live TV programmes on any channel, even if it's not on the BBC
watch or stream programmes live on an online TV service such as ITV Hub, All 4, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Now TV and Sky Go
download or watch any BBC programmes on iPlayer
You don't need a tv licence to watch ITV Hub, All 4, Youtube, or Amazon Prime Video, as they aren't platforms controlled by the BBC and don't put out any BBC content (though according to their Netflix explanation you can still watch a BBC programme on those services as long as its not being shown live).
Further on down that page they exempt Netflix even though the other catch-up online services are the same.
But a licence fee is not needed to view BBC programmes on other streaming services, like Netflix.
So, downloading Gavin & Stacey on Netflix would not require a TV licence, whereas downloading the same episode on iPlayer would.
You only need a TV licence to watch BBC content either via a tv capable of receiving the BBC live channels or iplayer. I'm not sure if Now TV broadcast BBC channels?
If you're going to use a TV to watch programmes then I'd disconnect the aerial cable and just connect it to content online.