{"id":788204,"date":"2026-10-01T05:20:09","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T05:20:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/788204\/"},"modified":"2026-10-01T05:20:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T05:20:09","slug":"bbc-should-cut-licence-fee-cost-and-expand-it-beyond-tv-mps-recommend-uk-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/788204\/","title":{"rendered":"BBC should cut licence fee cost and expand it beyond TV, MPs recommend | UK News"},"content":{"rendered":"

The BBC should reform the licence fee so it is no longer “linked to a TV” and couple this with a price drop, MPs have recommended.<\/p>\n

The cross-party Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee made a series of proposals as the government seeks to finalise its recommendations for the next BBC<\/a> royal charter.<\/p>\n

It will set out how the broadcaster should be governed, regulated and funded from 2028 – with the current agreement set to expire on 31 December 2027.<\/p>\n

The committee has also called for the next charter to be made permanent to avoid “political interference” and a “disproportionate distraction”.<\/p>\n

\"Matt<\/p>\n

Image:
\n Matt Brittin, the director-general of the BBC<\/p>\n

A report by the group said the current licence fee model was “outdated and no longer fit for purpose”, stating that the BBC should bring down the \u00a3180 annual cost.<\/p>\n

It read: “The best next step is for the government to reform the licence fee, so it reflects modern media consumption and is no longer linked to a television set.<\/p>\n

“This would be an easier sell to licence fee payers if expanding the base is paired with a drop in the individual cost.”<\/p>\n

The committee said a household levy, in which homes would pay the licence fee regardless of whether they used the BBC, would be difficult to introduce.<\/p>\n

However, it added that the government “should not have ruled out this option entirely”.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, the committee suggested the BBC should implement an international TV licence so it can “maximise the potential global audience and increase its revenue”.<\/p>\n

Its members also “strongly support” the BBC opening up iPlayer to include content from other public service broadcasters such as Channel 4.<\/p>\n

BBC director-general Matt Brittin told the committee the BBC had lost around \u00a31.2bn to \u00a31.3bn of licence fee funding over the last decade, according to the report.<\/p>\n

It also said the BBC had told it that while 94% of households were using the BBC, only 80% were paying for it.<\/p>\n

Chairwoman of the committee, Dame Caroline Dinenage, said: “For all its faults, the BBC drives our creative economy, supports our democracy through media sovereignty and delivers world-class entertainment and moments that bring us together.<\/p>\n

“Like a much-loved family member, we may criticise and grumble about the BBC but we would miss it enormously if it were no longer here for us.<\/p>\n

“The next charter can provide a springboard for the BBC’s success for years to come.”<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Read more from Sky News:
Peter Murrell’s legal aid withdrawn<\/a>
Broadcaster Dame Esther Rantzen dies<\/a><\/p>\n

In response, the BBC said the corporation welcomed the report, which they said “makes some important and interesting recommendations on the future of the BBC”.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson said: “We have consistently argued that the current funding model is outdated and needs reform, so we welcome the committee’s support for maintaining universal funding while overhauling the licence fee.<\/p>\n

“At a time of huge disruption in the media, the BBC’s trust, reach and creative strength remain unparalleled. But we also recognise the need to evolve and move faster towards the future.<\/p>\n

“We will reflect on the committee’s report and continue to engage with the government to secure a BBC that delivers for everyone for generations to come.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The BBC should reform the licence fee so it is no longer “linked to a TV” and couple…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":788205,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[96,391,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-788204","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-entertainment","tag-tv","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/788204","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=788204"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/788204\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/788205"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=788204"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=788204"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=788204"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}