The TV license fee could be lifted after conservative ministers revealed new details about their plans to shake up the broadcast.
A broadcasting White Paper was published on 28 April, warning that the £ 159-a-year fee could be “unsustainable”.
The television license fee has been extended until December 2027, according to the Mirror, but this will be “the last”, according to Culture Minister Nadine Doris.
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On Twitter in January, she wrote: “The days when the elderly were threatened with imprisonment and bailiffs knocking on doors are over. It’s time to discuss and discuss new ways to fund, support and sell great British content. “
Now the White Paper further suggests that the fee can be abolished as more people choose streaming services.
It says there will be a “review of the licensing fee model”, details of which will be set out in the coming months.
the license fee is frozen at £ 159 per year
It adds: “An increasing number of households choose not to have a TV license because fewer people choose to watch live TV or other activities that require a TV license.
“If this trend continues as expected, there are clear challenges on the horizon for the sustainability of the license fee.
“For example, if fewer households are required to hold a television license and there is a desire to maintain the current level of BBC funding, then the cost of the license fee will have to increase, potentially significantly.”
This comes as the license fee is frozen at £ 159 a year, necessitating cuts for the BBC at a time of rising inflation.
But what does all this mean for people to sit at home?
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Will the TV license be revoked?
The White Paper is simply a document in which the government sets out its proposals for future legislation.
This means that there is still no bill to revoke the TV license.
Currently, the TV license fee has been extended for use until 2027 – so it will not be removed before then.
What will happen after 2027 has yet to be voted on – and the next general election is expected in 2024.
How much does a TV license cost?
The TV license costs £ 159 a year.
As TV Licensing explains: “Pay your first license by direct debit in six months, around £ 26.50 a month. Then pay for the next one in monthly installments of around £ 13.25. Make four direct debit payments throughout the year. If you pay this way, each payment will include a fee of £ 1.25. ”
The license fee covered live or downloaded BBC TV and iPlayer programs, whether live, catch-up or on-demand.
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What’s going on with Channel 4?
Channel 4 was a hot topic of discussion for Ms. Doris, who said the channel’s current ownership model has “serious challenges” that limit its growth.
She added that anyone who “chooses to fire them” is “burying his head in the sand.”
In a written statement, she said that streaming services such as Amazon Prime Video had spent £ 779 million in 2020 on original productions in the UK, a figure she said was “twice as much as Channel Four”.
In the White Paper published by the government, it also highlights plans to privatize Channel 4 after 40 years of public ownership.
Channel 4 was created by former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1982 and has always been publicly owned and funded by advertising, but the government has yet to discuss and pass legislation that will make this official.
With a number of Tory MPs and colleagues questioning the plans, opposition to privatization is widespread.
Labor secretary in the shadow of Labor, Lucy Powell, also spoke out against the plans, arguing: “Selling Channel 4 in the midst of the cost of living crisis will make voters scratch their heads over how it will help them pay their bills. It will probably mean less British programs for British audiences and less support for British jobs across the country. “
The White Paper includes plans to regulate Ofcom’s streaming services. This will introduce a new mode of popularity for on-demand television and more.
Prior to the White Paper, Labor MPs said that Boris Johnson and his allies were “hell-bent on attacking this great British institution because they don’t like its journalism”.
The document also expresses concern about “disproportionate and unfair” penalties for people who refuse to pay the fee.
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