Netflix and Amazon Prime subscribers ‘could be forced to pay TV licence fee’ to fund the BBC
Netflix and Amazon Prime Video subscribers who don’t even watch the BBC may still have to pay the £180 annual TV license fee to help fund the company.
Industry sources claimed the Government was cautious about providing advertising support to Auntie because it would harm ITV and Channel 4.
Instead, a general approach in which the license fee is extended to broadcast platforms could be implemented by the end of 2027.
Currently people don’t need a TV license to watch ‘on-demand’ programs on services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ and Apple TV.
For example, Britons only need to buy a license if Amazon Prime is streaming live TV, such as Champions League football.
Closing this gap is an option for Labor.
Netflix and Amazon Prime Video subscribers who don’t even watch the BBC may still have to pay the £180 annual TV license fee to help fund the company
An industry source told The Times: ministers prefer this ‘broad approach’ to the license fee over an advertising model.
Culture minister Lisa Nandy has previously said she would be concerned a switch from license fee to BBC subscription would harm the Beeb’s ability to ‘unite the nation’.
The BBC declined to comment, saying it was up to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
But an article on the future of the BBC in March revealed that 80 per cent of the UK population pays the license fee, despite the belief that 94 per cent of the UK population uses BBC services on TV, radio or online each month.
The document warns: ‘Households that watch or record live TV on the BBC or elsewhere, or use BBC iPlayer to watch BBC content, are required to have a licence.
‘The number of people consuming live TV and the number of people consuming live TV has fallen. This is because audience behavior is changing at a pace and scale that was not anticipated in the last Charter Review.
‘General approach to others [abroad] ‘There are steps being taken to restore the universality of payment, while taking steps to improve fairness through increased pricing or concessions to help those on low incomes’.
Publishers are said to be very unhappy with the idea that all their customers will be charged a licensing fee in addition to the subscription fee.
Culture minister Lisa Nandy has previously said she was concerned a switch from license fee to BBC subscription would damage the Beeb’s ability to ‘unite the nation’.
A senior broadcast source said: ‘It’s pretty desperate to claim that everyone should pay for the BBC whether they watch it or not.
‘The BBC needs to think more radically and creatively about how to raise revenue in a way that does not undermine universal access.’
In a statement, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said: ‘The Government does not comment on speculation.
‘We are reviewing the responses to the BBC Charter Review consultation and will set out our decisions in a technical report to be published later this year.’
The government is considering how the current license fee funding model could be replaced or replaced when the current BBC contract ends in December 2027.
If people watch or stream live TV, they need to purchase a license.
But if they are streaming on-demand shows, they are not doing so for now.
Alternative options being considered by ministers include allowing the BBC to use advertising, imposing a specific tax on broadcast services or making those who listen to BBC radio pay a fee.
The government may still decide to change or even maintain the current TV Licensing system.
Financing options through taxation or subscription remain available.
Ministers will also consider calls for a system where richer households pay more than poorer ones.
