Under new proposals in development, people’s online BBC accounts could be linked to their home addresses for the first time, giving TV Licensing a new tool to track potential evasion, Sky News reports<\/a>. <\/p>\n Anyone who watches or records live television on any channel, or streams programmes on BBC iPlayer, is legally required to hold a TV licence, which currently costs \u00a3174.50 a year.<\/p>\n The corporation is responsible for collecting the fee and routinely sends targeted letters and emails to households it believes should be paying, but are not. <\/p>\n Concessions exist for people aged 75 or over who receive Pension Credit, blind viewers, residents of qualifying care homes who are disabled or over 60, and businesses offering overnight accommodation.<\/p>\n Failure to pay for a TV Licence can lead to a fine of up to \u00a31,000.<\/p>\n A TV Licensing spokesperson told The Independent: \u201cWe always look at ways to improve how we collect the licence fee. This includes using the data available to us to get a better understanding of viewing habits and use of BBC services.\u201d<\/p>\n The BBC noted that BBC online accounts are held by individuals, while a TV Licence covers everyone living as part of a household at an address. The organisation said it is working on ways to link individuals\u2019 BBC accounts to households \u2013 a move they said would help them understand the value our customers get from the TV licence, and also identify where a TV licence may be needed.<\/p>\n The BBC raised \u00a33.8bn from more than 23 million licences in 2024\u201325, but an estimated \u00a3550m was lost to evasion.<\/p>\n The plans to use iPlayer data to catch those evading paying the licence fee come immediately after Tim Davie, the outgoing director-general of the BBC, warned<\/a> the corporation will be in \u201cprofound jeopardy\u201d unless the current licence fee system is overhauled.<\/p>\n \u201cWe do want reform of the licence fee,\u201d he said<\/a>. \u201cHowever, we\u2019re not just about driving the amount we get from households higher.<\/p>\n \u201cMy biggest fears are that we just roll on and think it\u2019s going to be OK.<\/a> We don\u2019t reform enough. At that point, we don\u2019t get regulatory reform and more flexibility. That\u2019s my biggest worry. And I think, if we don\u2019t do that, we\u2019re in trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/830f6f2a2ed92b1f9bae3a20ca7220f4Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzYzNzUxNjU0-2.49757488.jpg\")
The BBC\u2019s licence fee model requires an overhaul, according to outgoing director-general Tim Davie (PA Archive)<\/p>\n