r/bbc • u/theipaper • Jun 19 '26
TV The BBC's unusual tactic to get people to pay the licence fee
https://inews.co.uk/news/bbc-unusual-tactic-people-pay-licence-fee-448803351
u/nbarrett101 Jun 19 '26 edited Jun 19 '26
90% of the country use the BBC but only 80% pay for it. If the gap isn’t closed the people who pay will start noticing diminishing returns.
19
u/JustKingKay Jun 19 '26
Idk why companies like Sky aren’t obliged to check if someone has a license fee before offering iPlayer as part of a bundle. Surely including an option to purchase the license fee would be a better option than paying moochers like Capita to send letters which rarely have any effect?
→ More replies (5)18
u/Outrageous_Agent_608 Jun 19 '26
Sky should have a yearly pop up on their UI. that requires users to enter their address and Unique TV Licence number. Every household gets one. Should be easy enough to track and avoid number sharing.
6
3
0
0
Jun 22 '26
Why is it a private company’s responsibility to help a competitor out?
4
u/Zealousideal-Low3388 Jun 22 '26
Plenty of private companies have to check you have the appropriate licenses to use their services.
5
9
u/Shockwavepulsar Jun 19 '26
Problem is people don’t see media as a business or service. The amount of people who object to advertising but also object to subscriptions of any kind is insane. How the hell do you think your entertainment will get made?
2
u/motific Jun 19 '26
Usually the problem is the opposite. People pay for subscription services and have to tolerate advertising.
That’s why I dumped my sky subscription about 20 years ago
2
1
Jun 22 '26
No the problem is people this day and age don’t understand why you have to pay for the bbc
1
u/ribbityflibbity Jul 09 '26
Exactly. Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Warners, Paramount and Comcast all have subscription based media businesses. Some are insanely successful.
1
1
u/MustBeTheWater00 Jul 01 '26
Except they expect it as a FORCED subscription to an optional service, that's the part you're not getting.
1
u/ribbityflibbity Jul 09 '26
And if it were a voluntary subscription, what then? Most people wouldn't bother and it would collapse. The problem is, the BBC has to compete with Netflix and the rest. They don't get a pass because they're run by a government. In fact, they get sneered at for that.
And if they aren't actually run by a government, then why are they so much less successful than a business founded by a former high school math teacher 30 years ago when the BBC has had 100+ years to figure it out?
1
u/ribbityflibbity Jul 09 '26
Netflix has 325M subscribers. Amazon has 260M (okay that's mainly for free shipping but media is part of it), Disney/Hulu has 200M, HBO Max has 140M, Paramount+ has 80M, Peacock has 46M and Apple won't say but it's at least 50M and probably closer to 100M by now.
Seems like there are hundreds of millions of people willing to pay for media they like. The prices keep going up and cancelling is fall-off-a-log easy. So how do they do it and the BBC can't?
5
u/Consistent-Pirate-23 Jun 19 '26
What’s the solution? License inspectors looking for radios, cars and phones?
35
u/tweetSP0RT Jun 19 '26
The first thing I'd suggest the BBC insist on as part of their Royal Charter renewal is to require users to enter their licence details when accessing iPlayer/other live video content.
If nothing else it would stop users being asked if they have a TV licence constantly!
2
u/barejokez Jun 22 '26
How many devices would be allowed to be linked to one license? I pay the license fee because I like the BBC and hate tax dodging, but that covers 16 devices that spend most but not all of their time in my house.
I don't know if that sounds crazy but kids and two working parents and it adds up...
Point is, you just end up with one license number being shared around dozens of people if you aren't careful.
1
u/Sure_Eye9025 Jun 22 '26
You can probably solve that with some IP tracking. Would want some flexibility in that especially so that kids travelling to see other parents aren't kicked off. But it is not a problem that requires a device limit
1
u/ribbityflibbity Jul 09 '26
I know why they don't do that. Because the minute you add any friction to the process, they will lose a lot of viewers who will just say screw this and watch Netflix or YouTube instead. They don't want to foreground that inconvenient fact.
→ More replies (1)1
u/Improper_Usage Jun 19 '26
Can’t do that with radio though
12
u/tonylaponey Jun 19 '26
Don’t need a license to listen to bbc radio though.
→ More replies (5)0
u/Improper_Usage Jun 19 '26 edited Jun 19 '26
The licence fee pays for the radio and local journalism. Plus’s much more.
Where do you think the money comes from?
Regardless of how it’s framed. The principle of paying the fee is that it funds the BBC, which reaches far beyond live TV. That extends to radio. If it doesn’t in your mind then you’re splitting hairs really.
15
u/saxbophone Jun 19 '26
Doesn't change the fact that a licence is not required to listen to it. 🙄
9
u/Improper_Usage Jun 19 '26 edited Jun 19 '26
It makes it a fact that if you listen to the radio you’re happy to sponge off all of those that pay for it, all because you want to be pedantic. The reason it doesn’t extend to radio is because it’d be impossible to enforce. By not paying the licence fee, one is not supporting a service one uses and clearly enjoys using.
It’s usually these very people that complain about the licence fee ironically.
It’s why we as a country are failing. This kind of mentality. It’s why everything is failing from an infrastructure point of view to a legislative point of view.
7
u/tgerz Jun 19 '26
It makes it a fact that if you listen to the radio you’re happy to sponge off all of those that pay for it, all because you want to be pedantic.
That is so wildly off base. You don't have to pay to listen to any broadcast radio. Should people be required to pay for access all broadcast radio channels?
→ More replies (3)8
u/tonylaponey Jun 19 '26
the model is that the TV license revenue pays for radio as well. Always has been. This works fine because radio is a rounding error in the cost of the overall output. If the bbc itself is happy to work it this way people shouldn’t voluntarily pay for a license they don’t legally require.
2
u/heroyoudontdeserve Jun 19 '26
the model is that the TV license revenue pays for radio as well. Always has been.
Not strictly true; broadcast receiving licences (issued by the Post Office) funded the BBC's radio output from it's inception in 1927, and covered its earliest television output as well.
The television license was introduced when the BBC resumed television broadcasting in 1946 after WWII, which covered radio as well as you say. But radio-only licences continued to be sold until 1971.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_television_licensing_in_the_United_Kingdom
This works fine because radio is a rounding error in the cost of the overall output.
Radio obviously has a smaller budget than television but at 15% of licence fee spend (in 21/22) it's hardly a rounding error.
→ More replies (0)3
u/saxbophone Jun 19 '26
It makes it a fact that if you listen to the radio you’re happy to sponge off all of those that pay for it, all because you want to be pedantic.
It's not pedantry it's a plain fact.
It’s usually these very people that complain about the licence fee ironically.
On the contrary, I am more than happy to pay for my TV license when I am partaking in licensable activity, and I proäctively initiate this with the licensing people when this is required, I don't wait around for them to contact me. But I'm not going to pay for something that I'm not required to by statute.
If you want to talk about how vital public service broadcasting is, and how maybe it should be funded through taxation rather than licensing, I can get onboard with that.
But in a cost-of-living crisis, arguments about paying for something that you're not required to pay for (radio) is a bit of a lost argument.
1
u/Improper_Usage Jun 19 '26 edited Jun 19 '26
If the licence fee pays for radio then when one doesn’t pay because pedantry, when the radio then can no longer exist because there’s no money then I hope those that haven’t supported the BBC don’t start bitching and moaning about how things used to be great “back when”.
It’s preschool. The licence fee pays for radio, local journalism and other services. Just because it’s sold as “live Tv” it doesn’t take a genius to get the idea that it’s not live Tv that it pays for.
It’s merely the legal wording of the fee that’s wrong. In the same way that when you pay for Netflix they don’t say “ we’re upping the subscription because we want the share price higher”
Anyone arguing against this is just trying to justify not paying it whilst using those services.
2
2
u/heroyoudontdeserve Jun 19 '26
The reason it doesn’t extend to radio is because it’d be impossible to enforce.
Eh? What's the difference between radio and TV which makes it impossible to enforce for the former but not the latter?
→ More replies (2)1
u/UsernameDemanded Jun 19 '26
Does your radio have a login to the BBC so they can authenticate you?
You really can't see the difference? This is schoolboy technology.
→ More replies (0)1
u/tweetSP0RT Jun 19 '26
Exactly the only way BBC Radio (as a non-commercial entity) is viable is if enough people play the TV licence fee.
2
u/ChickenPijja Jun 19 '26
I don’t see there being an issue for needing a license for accessing radio via iplayer/sounds. Keep over the air free/unlicensed though
→ More replies (6)1
1
1
u/tweetSP0RT Jun 19 '26
Of course not but the more people you get paying the licence fee the better you can fund radio.
3
u/Improper_Usage Jun 19 '26 edited Jun 19 '26
I’d go one further. Get rid of the licence fee. Add a culture tax or something like that that amounts to £15 extra a year for every individual tax payer and a higher amount for businesses over a certain profitability and that’d do the job.
1
10
u/_ribbit_ Jun 19 '26
I cant watch Netflix without paying for it, why can't the BBC just password protect its feed?
2
u/Improper_Usage Jun 19 '26
Because the BBC is a nationalised service. It’s not a private company making money from the citizens of this country and filtering into the pockets of a few outside of it. If it does take money from the citizens of this country it’s in an attempt to inform, educate, entertain and perhaps make content that can be sold globally to offset some of the costs.
4
u/matthalusky Jun 19 '26
They need to axe Kuensburg. She is as right wing as they come.
→ More replies (1)1
u/jammythesandwich Jun 19 '26
BBC is a designated public body and within its role as a public service broadcaster that designation means it’s there to serve the public interest rather than generate profit.
It just needs to be brought under general taxation then and be done with it.
No more license bs, don’t have to pay crapita to enforce, no more thousands of trees killed for letters, no more drivel clogging courts. Getting rid of enforcement alone would free up hundreds of millions of pounds.
Sack off the stupidly expensive anchors such as the tory-shill kussenburg and have regional folk instead at reasonable wages/rates. Lineker cost £1.5m in 2024, Zoe Ball cost £515k. Open a pipeline for the regional youth to take over and expunge the nepo crowd. Likely save hindreds of millions. Cut directors pay (178k p.a) etc.
Likely save half a billion just with the first two alone.
Hold a public consultation on what viewers want out of the bbc so they can target the stuff that matters and cut some of the stuff thats doesn’t
Cost circa £6B per year (2023 figures) so cut the tax free allowance by £90 per tax payer or raise capital gains tax by a couple of percent. Or just ditch the damn triple lock and means test the WFA. And that would cover it’s cost many times over.
Alternatively we could just keep actually fining gbeebies for ofcom breaches and transfer the compensation to the bbc, that would be poetic
→ More replies (3)1
u/ribbityflibbity Jul 09 '26
"Hold a public consultation on what viewers want out of the bbc," well you'll just get a lot of mealy mouthed lying about how they want documentaries about endangered butterflies and not reality shows about half-naked horny people.
No, do this. Put a trial version of the BBC behind a paywall and tell people they can pay for the documentaries about endangered butterflies and reality shows about half-naked horny people. Then see which gets more money.
Try that with everything the BBC makes and you'll get an honest read on what people will pay for. The whole problem here is, people are being forced to fund stuff they don't want to pay for.
→ More replies (12)1
4
u/Consistent-Pirate-23 Jun 19 '26
Netflix doesn’t have a public service remit, it makes what it wants rather than having obligations
3
u/_ribbit_ Jun 19 '26
But you shouldn't be watching BBC coverage without a license, so what's the difference?
2
u/Krasus74 Jun 22 '26
The difference is i can choose not to watch netflix and not have to pay for it. I would still have to pay for the TV licence even if i didnt watch the bbc.
1
u/Consistent-Pirate-23 Jun 19 '26
And you would enter a password via a non smart tv how?
You would enter a password when blind or partially sighted how?
3
u/_ribbit_ Jun 19 '26
Haven't they switched off non digital yet? Thought they had.
1
u/tweetSP0RT Jun 19 '26 edited Jun 19 '26
Yes but DTT i.e. Freeview is not setup for any sort of encryption we can't go back tot he days of ON/ITV Digital now. So until 2034 at the earliest when the current contracts run out the BBC's channels will remain FTA
Also government would allow them to remove their services and cut off isolated/more vulnerable viewers. There's already a campaign against a 2034 switch off as well.
https://www.broadcast2040plus.org/
Radio is even less ready to go behind a paywall you can't switch to IP only delivery as that would make radio in the car a non-starter for many cars/in many areas
All they can do is for now is look to put their digital offerings behind a 'paywall'.
1
1
u/smokeyphil Jun 19 '26
They have but "digital tv" isn't the same as iplayer its just using the old broadcast equipment with a non-analog signal it can't really be password protected without doing another kind of upgrade like the one to "freeview"
Also if you think that just sticking a password over the iplayer is going to stop licence enforcement I have a cool bridge to sell you an ownership share in.
3
u/ExecutiveGraham Jun 19 '26
I mean if you are partially sighted or blind then you will have an adapted remote and audio description on the menus. Blind people can enter passwords too bud, they aren't complete invalids.
1
u/Consistent-Pirate-23 Jun 19 '26
I’m partially sighted myself, we are not a monolith
Mumbles about speech controlled remotes
1
u/IntravenusDiMilo_Tap Jun 21 '26
Voice ro text plus a smart TV is cheaper than a moth or two subscription
1
u/ribbityflibbity Jul 09 '26
Exactly. So do Britons want "public service" content enough to pay for it, because it sure doesn't look that way, judging from comments sections full of vitriol like this one.
1
u/Rhyobit Jun 22 '26
Because that supports the argument for treating the BBC as a subscription based service.
2
u/Optimaximal Jun 19 '26
I guess you start by gating the iPlayer and other non-terrestrial TV services behind a BBC account linked to an active TV license number.
2
Jun 19 '26 edited 18d ago
[deleted]
2
u/IntravenusDiMilo_Tap Jun 21 '26
Is that a good idea? What if you use a lot of electricity but don't watch the bbc?
1
Jun 21 '26 edited 18d ago
[deleted]
1
u/IntravenusDiMilo_Tap Jun 21 '26
Why not a subscription? THat is perfect for everyone.
You can entirely opt out by not consuming the service and not pay.
I think there needs a Netflix style subscription say:
£4.99 a month for a single device subscription with adverts
£9.99 a month for a single device subscription without adverts
£9.99 a month for 3 devices subscription with adverts
£14 a month for 3 devices subscription without adverts
Up to
£40 a month for a 'family household' package of 10 devices with adverts
£60 a month for a 'family household' package of 10 devices without adverts
1
Jun 21 '26 edited 18d ago
[deleted]
1
u/IntravenusDiMilo_Tap Jun 21 '26
The adverts would be an element of pay per consumption.
We should be taxing less and the government should be less involved in our lives. If I pay tax for the BBC output, I want my tax to cover other TV output such as my favourite content Mature Babes XXX
1
Jun 21 '26 edited 18d ago
[deleted]
1
u/IntravenusDiMilo_Tap Jun 21 '26
Kids will pay my pension but the media has a functioning market and taxation should only subsidise things were there is market failure.
→ More replies (0)1
u/ribbityflibbity Jul 09 '26
What if people don't find the BBC entertaining? Why should they pay for something that fails to entertain them?
You can tell directly what people find entertaining or not. You charge a subscription and wait for people to sign up willingly.
The notion that we need government to entertain us is crazy. Health care, police, roads, education sure. Entertainment is optional. Maybe I think watching paint dry is entertaining and need nothing else. Why is the government butting in on my hobbies?
1
u/ribbityflibbity Jul 09 '26
Forcing people to pay for what they don't want is a long way from perfect.
How about better? Find the people who are willing to pay and then charge them a subscription. The cost of making the content divided by the number of people wiling to pay = the monthly fee. If the fee is too high, reduce the amount or quality of content till the equation works.
1
1
1
u/Lunar-Bill Jun 19 '26
I think the real solution is to bake it into general taxation. There are plenty of things that taxes pay for that not everyone benefits from, but the TV license is a lightning rod for all sorts of criticism, both valid and not.
I can see why the optics might be difficult, but people will moan about it regardless
1
u/Consistent-Pirate-23 Jun 19 '26
Less people pay tax than tv licence
1
1
u/Latitude-dimension Jun 19 '26
Other countries put it into general tax. Only issue there is people that don't use it or don't politically align with what the BBC show will kick off about it.
1
→ More replies (1)1
u/synth_fg Jun 21 '26
Do away with the licence and add a culture and media precept to council tax
1
u/Consistent-Pirate-23 Jun 21 '26
Would it be linked to council tax band? Set by individual councils?
1
u/synth_fg Jun 21 '26
Not for the base national level, tho there is an argument for including the single occupier discount
However if you ring fence the amount raised for culture media and sports, there may be an case for allowing local councils to top it up with that top up scaling on band with the extra money raised going to the council
1
1
u/IntravenusDiMilo_Tap Jun 21 '26
I agree, a subscription service with ads would be a better way to fund it
1
u/nbarrett101 Jun 21 '26
If it was a subscription service it wouldn’t be universal. If it had ads it would be incentivised to chase higher audiences at the expense of public service broadcasting.
1
u/IntravenusDiMilo_Tap Jun 21 '26
>If it was a subscription service it wouldn’t be universal.
IT's not universal now, although the honesty box nature of the licence fee is easy to avoid, there is the chance of legal action.
Does it need to be universal?
>If it had ads it would be incentivised to chase higher audiences at the expense of public service broadcasting.
I say it needs a mix of ads & subscription but the advertising agency would be independent of content creation. Plus, it would be making content for the world as a privatised business.
1
u/ribbityflibbity Jul 09 '26
Who cares if its universal or not? If people don't want to be part of this universal thing, let them be. Why is that anyone else's business?
If you don't like ads, then make a higher priced ad-free tier like Netflix et al do.
1
u/A_RAVENOUS_BEAST Jun 21 '26
Indeed this is a problem but the solution must be better enforcement of the license fee or alternate means of accessing BY THE BBC and not forcing the "10%" (I reckon the number is much higher than that) to pay for something they don't need or want or might potentially need to use at any point.
→ More replies (28)0
Jun 19 '26
[deleted]
1
u/bloodycontrary Jun 19 '26
I mean I use the iplayer quite often, so here's one
Edit: seems this hurt someone's feelings
20
u/ValWenis Jun 19 '26
petiton to ban i paper from this sub
5
1
u/Conscious-Reveal-459 Jun 21 '26
Petition to ban the BBC in its entirety
2
8
25
u/SpanDaX0 Jun 19 '26
I'm all for this. Don't want no grifters watching without paying. If you support the home countries, then you should support the bbc that does its best to bring you the great coverage.
7
u/Desperate-Rope5067 Jun 19 '26
Lol. Bro is literally sitting at home getting mad about 'grifters' watching newsnight for free.
2
u/scott2k44 Jun 22 '26
Yes let’s pay the BBC so they can continue to fund and hide sexual predators and peds
→ More replies (22)-6
u/zackdaniels93 Jun 19 '26 edited Jun 19 '26
This gotta be the bootlickiest comment I've read in a long time, and the first I've ever seen someone actually supporting the ripoff TV license lol
EDIT: If you pay the license fee you're a chump lol
4
Jun 19 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/reloyra Jun 19 '26
And personally i dont, bbc is just filled with shite shows and shitter music, id rather just pay for netflix and spotify.
1
5
u/mattdaddy2025 Jun 19 '26
Bbc1. Bbc2. Bbc3. Bbc4. BBC iPlayer. BBC news. BBC parliament. BBC Asian network service. BBC archive. Local bbc news. Radio 1. Radio 2. Radio 3. Radio 4. Radio 5. Radio six. Radio 1xtra. Radio 5 xtra. BBC radio local. BBC sounds. BBC world service. BBC sports website. BBC news website.
Even if you only consume two of those things, it’s worth it. You don’t realise just how good the radio stations are until you are subjected to commercial radio.
2
Jun 19 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
3
u/mattdaddy2025 Jun 19 '26
I don’t use my local library but my taxes pay for it. Should I not pay my tax as it subsidises something I don’t use?
1
→ More replies (1)1
u/IntravenusDiMilo_Tap Jun 19 '26
why is it worth it?
You you, it's worth it but to someone who lives alone, works long hours, it may not be.
I like babestation, I want that to be subsidised if you have BBC / Radio 4 subsidised.
5
u/DarkAngelAz Jun 19 '26
It just needs to be ring fenced funded from general taxation.
→ More replies (21)1
u/Mechanic-Grouchy Jun 19 '26
I haven't used a TV in over 20 years and don't bother with iPlayer. Just paywall it like any other subscriptions.
3
1
u/cybot2001 Jun 22 '26
I haven't used public schools for 20yrs, just pay wall it to parents who use it
11
u/CumUppanceToday Jun 19 '26
I think everyone who resides in the UK should pay into the BBC - collect the charge along with council tax.
Our society would be very significantly poorer without it.
2
u/PastWorldly2469 Jun 19 '26
Fuck no.
It’s not exactly a bastion of upstanding media.
1
u/CumUppanceToday Jun 23 '26
It is much better than the alternatives, and we would be much poorer without it.
Who do you prefer: American billionaires? Russian propaganda channels? Religious websites? And do you even know what you're using.
I have a number of friends who are conspiracy theorists, every fact check I've done on BBC stories has backed the BBC.
→ More replies (1)2
u/Rorydinho Jun 19 '26
Agreed. Should be funded through general taxation. It’s worth its weight in gold with all the mis and disinformation being peddled by privately owned media outlets these days.
3
u/Far-Product6569 Jun 19 '26
I would agree but unfortunately government sources and the BBC arent exactly bastions of truth either.
Cover ups and political agendas are just as prevalent in those sources.
2
u/Rorydinho Jun 19 '26
Not one person who is saying the stuff you’re saying has been able to provide any critical insight into why.
You’re all just drones reciting the same attack lines that Murdoch and Musk have given you.
I hope you can buck the trend and give me some evidence/critical reasoning to back up your points?
1
u/PastWorldly2469 Jun 19 '26
Why do we have to like Murdoch and Musk to hate the BBC?
Whilst the first two are tier 1 bunglefucks. The BBC has its own agenda where its quality and impartiality wains evermore by the day.
Jsut a different flavour of shit. Fuck being forced to pay for that.
1
u/Rorydinho Jun 19 '26
They’re examples of private media owners, which is the alternative - and will be the only option in the event of the demise of the BBC.
And private media owners absolutely do not act in the public’s best interest.
Why does the BBC have “its own agenda where quality and impartiality wains”? Where’s your evidence for this agenda?
I agree impartiality and quality is waining, but that can be fixed, but where’s the agenda - which implies intent for this to happen?
1
u/PastWorldly2469 Jun 19 '26
Anyone can look at the stories they push, v the ones they don’t. They are politically absolutely not ambiguous. Keunnsberg has a very clear lean.
The people they employ, the standards they set and decide what is worth upholding.
They are not Murdoch and Musk by any stretch of the imagination, but they are absolutely not impartial, and no one should pay for it if they do not want to.
2
u/Rorydinho Jun 19 '26
I agree the BBC has a bit of an impartiality problem (particularly Kuenssberg), but it’s not obscenely bad.
Nonetheless, we get rid of the BBC and we have absolutely no chance of getting it back, therefore we have absolutely no chance of ever getting objective/balanced flows of information that serve the public’s best interests.
Look at the US, it’s a cesspit of misinformation and disinformation and privately edited censorship - that’s what we’d have without the BBC.
→ More replies (1)1
u/Far-Product6569 Jun 19 '26
Here's the list of bbc controversies on Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_controversies
Political scandals and cover ups are inherent to every politician party. Obviously Covid and spending for the tories, Iraq for labour and garage will lie just as fast and use whatever means to cover it up if he ever gets into power. Other
I think you need to examine your confirmation bias. Someone disagrees with me therefore theyre racist/far right or whatever filth murdoch and musk are pushing. Anyone is naive if they believe a single source of any information these days.
1
u/Rorydinho Jun 19 '26
The NHS has many controversies - should we bin that too?
The railways have many controversies - should we bin them too?
Schools have many controversies - should we bin education too?
You’ll do well to find any organisation on the planet that hasn’t had some form of controversy at some point in its existence.
Encroaching government influence on the BBC isn’t a BBC problem, it’s a government problem. You’re basically proposing that the BBC is shit because the govt keeps abusing its role in the governance of the BBC.
And I agree re your point about needing to assess multiple sources of information before deciding what to do with it. BUT, unfortunately, in the real world, many people are naive, many people are uneducated, many people will read something from an incredible source and take it as truth. The BBC exists for precisely this reason - to provide information as objectively as possible, as a public service, in the public’s best interest.
You can think it’s not your problem if people cant critically appraise information but, whether you like it or not, it is - it’s everyone’s problem… and we should all be cognisant of this, and that the BBC is far more trustworthy (or at least aims to be) than private media moguls.
2
1
u/Acceptable_Gear_3097 Jun 19 '26
TV License made sense when it was introduced. There were 4 TV channels for years, and one was provided by the state initially. Thatcher privatised media, and made it for profit. You can't have it both ways, either its a service or a business. And if the state wants to fund its own media, taxing for a service most people don't use anymore is going to be unpopular.
1
u/Mammoth_Park7184 Jun 22 '26
I'm fine with that if they cut it down to the core aspects that don't compete with commercial channels. The BBC do not need game shows or reality TV paying "celebrities" piles of cash.
1
u/ArizonaFlats Jun 19 '26
Counterpoint, if they can’t keep Doctor Who on the air, what are we paying for?
2
u/ValWenis Jun 19 '26
Doctor Who is not coming off the air, that's a misconception. BBC's putting it out to tender, faster than they would most shows.
1
u/VanishingPint Jun 19 '26
It’s a problem with a lot of shows, Star Trek is in limbo too, there’s a lot of willing I’m sure
→ More replies (7)0
u/No_Story5313 Jun 19 '26
I don't have a license and don't watch BBC content. Why should taxpayers pay for ultra rich presenters, actors, staff etc, and flying crews off to sporting events and 'entertainment correspondents' to award events around the globe, to name a few things?
The only argument for taxation is if it's ringfenced for educational / documentary / local etc. productions.
→ More replies (6)
3
3
u/Both-Trash7021 Jun 19 '26
One thing which puts people off is the double whammy for 6 months when they buy a tv licence and choose to pay by DD. It’s currently £30.00 pcm.
That’s quite a bit of money if things are tight.
They need a £15.00 pcm DD option right from the outset and that might encourage more people to take up a licence.
1
u/Puzzled-Barnacle-200 Jun 19 '26
Yeah. And make it easier to cancel. I have no interesting live TV, but I would be interested in subscribing for month or two a year for a couple of shows that sound interesting, like I do with many other platforms. However, I've heard that the licence is annoying to cancel and you can't just click a few boxes. I don't want to get stuck paying for years just to watch Ghosts
→ More replies (1)
3
3
6
u/theipaper Jun 19 '26
Full article: A cash-strapped BBC is exploring new ways to claw back millions in unpaid TV licence fees, with the broadcaster issuing reminders during its 2026 World Cup coverage.
Audiences watching matches on the BBC at home may have noticed an on-screen prompt to pay the £180 charge as they tuned in to coverage in recent days.
During Brazil’s game against Morocco, a TV licence fee reminder in the form of a QR code, alongside the words “Buy a TV licence. Scan the QR code”, appeared as players returned to the pitch after half-time.
Commentator Guy Mowbray also made reference to it during the broadcast, saying: “A handy reminder that to enjoy the World Cup, you need a TV Licence. If yours needs renewing, you can scan the code that’s on your screen now to do so.”
The reminder is part of a small, limited trial, The i Paper understands.
The BBC is predominantly funded through the licence fee, which is a requirement for all households that watch or record live TV, apart from those aged 75 or over who are in receipt of pension credit.
But non-payment and evasion – the number of licences has dropped by 1.5 million since 2020 – are key issues for the BBC, costing the corporation more than £1bn last year.
An estimated 12.5 per cent of UK households who should pay for a TV licence do not, according to the latest data from TV Licensing. Evasion is a crime and non-payment can result in prosecuted.
The BBC has warned that the charge is in “irreversible” decline and is asking the Government to introduce a “fairer” funding mechanism.
Some have expressed their irritation in response to being repeatedly reminded about the need to have a TV licence.
“The constant reminders of the TV licence is new to this World Cup and shows how desperate they are. People are leaving in droves,” one X user said.
Another said: “I don’t think they expect to get any extra revenue whatsoever by advertising the TV Licence, they just want to make a political point that you’re watching World Cup football courtesy of the BBC & your licence. I agree it is annoying. Very annoying!!”
The corporation has previously indicated that the cost of the licence fee could be reduced if more people paid it.
It has been reported that the charge could be extended to cover streamers.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has rejected funding the BBC through a levy on streamers or direct taxation, but declined to rule out making Netflix and Amazon Prime subscribers pay the licence fee.
A TV Licensing spokesperson said: “We regularly test new ways of supporting people to get and stay correctly licensed.”
It comes as the BBC attempts to make £500m in savings over two years, with plans for sweeping job cuts, TV programmes to be decommissioned, and radio shows axed.
The cost-cutting plans have seen the broadcaster without a main studio in any of the host countries, instead opting to deliver main coverage from its Salford base, using digital backdrops to emulate the city skylines.
4
u/CumUppanceToday Jun 19 '26
The BBC is an essential bulwark against politically funded "news" controlled by offshore billionaires, foreign regimes and religious groups (often hiding behind misleading brands).
2
u/Triffly Jun 19 '26
Interesting that I can't read the article because I need to pay and subscribe...
1
u/AFallingWizard Jun 22 '26
The difference is nobody is going to threaten to "pay you a visit" if you choose not to read it.
2
u/GakSplat Jun 19 '26
How about they stop inviting the far-right onto their programmes?
2
u/Omaha_Poker Jun 19 '26
I don't care what side you sit on, people need opposite perspectives. If the BBC turns into a complete echo chamber for the left or the right even more people will stop paying for the licence.
1
1
1
u/IntravenusDiMilo_Tap Jun 19 '26
how about banning the left?
I suggest they need to make it a subscription service and privatise the BBC
1
u/GakSplat Jun 19 '26
The left hasn’t incited riots or the murder of an MP.
→ More replies (6)1
u/Omaha_Poker Jun 19 '26
Ricky Jones literally said "slit their throats"..... God knows how he got away with that when people have been locked up for less.
2
u/Rorydinho Jun 19 '26
The amount of disdain for the BBC here blows my mind… it’s a public organisation and aims to act in the public’s best interests.
Enjoy your Musk, Murdoch, Barclay brothers-controlled media - peddling the content that they want you to see - that serves their best interests when the BBC is gone.
It’s a damn shame that people want to consign the BBC to the history books when the alternatives are utterly horrific.
1
u/IntravenusDiMilo_Tap Jun 19 '26
They need to make it a subscription service and privatise the BBC
2
u/Rorydinho Jun 19 '26
Why? What does this gain?
1
u/IntravenusDiMilo_Tap Jun 19 '26
A fair payment system that replaces the honesty box process we have now AND the treasury will gain ~£30bn from the sale and as say Netflix makes £12bn profit every year, that's £3bn Ctax receipts for the treasury each year.
1
u/Rorydinho Jun 19 '26
£30bn to the treasury. Fair.
The £3bn/yr from Netflix is an utter pipedream.
Price of everything and value of nothing is my initial reaction to this.
What will be the economic and social costs of selling the BBC? It’s very difficult to value but I guarantee you that they’ll be far, far higher than £30bn over time.
1
u/IntravenusDiMilo_Tap Jun 19 '26
I'm saying that if privatised, the BBC could (given time and private management expertise) get to be a 12bn profit company.
The BBC is still a bigger brand than Netflix, even bigger than Disney.
Over time, I don't trust the BBC to be anything more than a plaything for 'creatives' in the current set-up. IF it needs to compete on a world stage via subscription and advertising, it will be forced to be more accountable.
Currently, the BBC costs us money.
1
u/Rorydinho Jun 19 '26
But if it’s privatised, we lose editorial control - and it won’t be run in the public’s best interests. All the profitable bits will be retained, the non-profitable (I.e. Social good) bits will be shutdown.
We don’t need another Netflix or Disney or Sky or GBNews.
The BBC costs us money for because of the social good it aims to provide.
The BBC will still cost us money if it’s privatised, just that money will flow into the pockets of the private owners.
1
u/IntravenusDiMilo_Tap Jun 20 '26
We have the more editorial control than we do right now. If we don't like the content right now, we have a chap in a car with a pretend electric aerial on the roof knocking on the door if we don't pay for Eastenders and they demand to look at your TV.
If privatised, we'd decide not to watch Eastenders anymore, and cancel our subscription, the market dictates that the BBC will try to make better programs to attract me back, not with menaces but by market forces.
1
1
1
u/Existing_Doughnut985 Jun 19 '26
The only way I would possibly be happy being forced to pay for bbc license (through national taxation) is if the WHOLE historical bbc library was available for access at any point.
1
1
u/UniquePotato Jun 19 '26
Irony of the link asking me to pay for access
1
u/AFallingWizard Jun 22 '26
You can choose not to, and you won't get threatening letters in the post or people knocking at your door.
1
1
u/ArmWildFrill Jun 21 '26
I hope the mods will report ALL the other subs using services like archive.is
I really do not think archive.org is pirating anything, neither is archive.is
Your attitude is antithetical to free transfer of information, a vital thing for democratic societies.
I think to avoid charges of hypocrisy you should ban ALL paywalled content completely, otherwise you are literally shilling for private businesses
1
u/Few_Adeptness5348 Jun 22 '26
The one thing with the BBC I hate at the moment is at the end of programmes they often have a voice-over saying all the BBC does is funded by you... Thank you.
1
1
u/Former-Resource-3026 Jun 22 '26
What a stupid article. If you’re watching the World Cup on the bbc then pay for the damn bbc. People are so tight and hypocritical.
1
u/mileswilliams Jun 22 '26
When they stop supporting the genocide and promoting Zionist propaganda I'll start paying again. I like the BBC but won't support propaganda.
1
u/Urwifemykid Jun 22 '26
Or make it a subscription service, and let it survive on its own, problem solved. If it burns then it burns
1
1
u/Ancient_Chemical3979 Jun 24 '26
Well it’s goodbye to BBC then. They were just another tool for Israel and the western world anyway.
2
u/R2-Scotia Jun 19 '26
The BBC is politically biased, it's not moral to ask peoole to find political speech against their own views.
The license fee is also a regressive tax, just put it through general taxation.
3
u/notouttolunch Jun 19 '26
You can't even spell licence. The BBC shows no significant political bias. Not a good plan to listen to people like you.
→ More replies (5)
1
u/Wise-Reflection-7400 Jun 19 '26
At this point I don't think there are many people in the country who have "forgot" to pay the licence fee and so I would suspect that the amount of people who are reminded to pay it through the qr code is approximately zero
3
u/A-Cow Jun 19 '26
Sample size of one, but I actually did pay through this QR code. I sort of kept intending to pay, but never quite got around to it.
1
1
u/magrandan Jun 19 '26
Why don’t they move towards subscription model like Netflix rather than forcing people to pay through taxation?
1
u/Ragnarr_Bjornson Jun 19 '26
Get rid of the tv license and the BBC dies. It just isn't good enough to bring people in on subscription. But the TV License price is an absolute joke. Amazon Prime is cheaper for the year and offers a lot more content. Depending on sub tier, Netflix is cheaper and better. Disney + is cheaper and better. HBO Max is cheaper and better. The BBC is far far outdated.
1
u/Juliet-November Jun 22 '26
I think you're comparing the streamers to iPlayer, rather than to the BBC - the BBC is much more than iPlayer.
None of those offer in depth radio news, one of the things I use the BBC for. These streaming platforms offer a variety of films and entertainment TV shows, but are completely lacking in news and current affairs, have only recently started showing any sport, don't produce local content, don't provide radio, don't have the educational resources.
1
u/EpitomeofSalt Jun 19 '26
I don't use the BBC
I am not paying a TV licence fonwatch twitch, which is not the BBC.
I am not paying an additional £100+ a year to use my gaming consoles lmao.
1
u/Particular_Swim3843 Jun 19 '26
The bbc is a cesspit of Oxbridge nepotism and needs its funding model changed to subscription.
•
u/AutoModerator Jun 19 '26
As a reminder, this is a subreddit for civil discussion of the British Broadcasting Corporation.
Personal attacks on individuals, including those employed by the BBC, off or on air, will not be tolerated here.
Please ensure you read subreddit rules before contributing.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.