NEW plans to change the way Brits are charged their BBC TV Licence fee have been unveiled – and it could affect you very soon.
Major reforms to the licence fee would drastically change the way Brits are charged.
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One option being considered would be to merge the £174 licence fee with another controversial household bill so Brits would have to pay it together.
It comes after the BBC’s latest financial results showed it suffered a staggering £80 million drop in revenue after thousands of households canceled their subscription.
The annual licence fee, which will increase by £5 next month to £174.50 per annum, has to be paid by anyone who records or watches live TV, as well as anyone watching content on BBC iPlayer.
Anyone found watching live TV on Netflix without a TV Licence can end up with a fine of up to £1,000 – or £2,000 if you live in Guernsey.
And if you don’t pay fines ordered by the court, you could risk being jailed.
As the BBC’s results showed the broadcaster in risky territory, Chairman Samir Shah announced they would be looking at alternative models to fund the TV Licence, including merging it with council tax bills.
Many Brits will not be happy with the suggestion, given council tax bills are already set to soar from next month, with six areas in the UK being allowed to exceed to 4.99% increase without triggering a local vote, which will result, for some, in a £205 further charge.
Speaking in an interview with The Sunday Times, Samir dismissed rumours that they would be introducing a Netflix-style subscription fee, saying it would not ‘meet the BBC’s key role to offer something for everyone in the country’.
He also rejected the idea of a hybrid licence, where Brits would pay a smaller fee for basic TV services such as the news, but would be charged a higher amount to access entertainment content.
Investing in adverts is also not on the table as the BBC want to stay “independent of commercial interests”.
Samir told The Sunday Times: “Why should people who are poor pay the same as people in wealthy households?”
“It gets rid of the enforcement issue, which is a problem. The idea that not paying the licence fee is a criminal offence seems too harsh.”
As more Brits opt for streaming services and on-demand rather than normal live TV, the UK Government has confirmed it will be “keeping an open mind” about the future of the licence fee.
How to watch TV legally without paying for a licence
YOU can legally use the following services without a TV Licence as long as you aren’t using them to watch or stream live TV:
- On demand TV – such as catch-up TV and on demand previews, which are available through services including ITV Player, All 4, My5, BT Vision/BT TV, Virgin Media, Sky Go, Now TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku and Amazon Fire TV. You can’t watch or download programmes on BBC iPlayer without a TV licence.
- On demand movies – from services such as Sky, Virgin Media, BT Vision, Netflix and Amazon Instant Video.
- Recorded films and programmes – either via DVD or Blu-ray, or downloaded from the internet.
- YouTube – Video clips that aren’t live through services such as YouTube.
And the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has said they won’t rule out introducing a streaming service TV licence.
In a written response last week, DCMS Minister Stephanie Peacock, said: “The Government is keeping an open mind about the future of the licence fee, and firmly believes that the unique obligations placed on the BBC demand continued, sustainable public funding to support its vital work.”
She added: “There are a range of alternatives and we are thinking creatively about options for the future, to ensure we future-proof our national broadcaster for many years to come.”
“The Government will be taking forward the question of how the BBC is funded as part of the Charter Review process.”
The Sun has contacted the BBC for comment.
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