The number of people with black and white licences - which are nearly 100 pounds cheaper than the colour equivalent - has declined from 212,000 at the turn of the century to fewer than 50,000 in 2006.
Last week that number had fallen to 13,202.
According to television and radio technology historian John Trenouth, though 13,202 monochrome licences may sound a lot, "it's now a tiny percentage of the 25 million licensed viewers in the UK".