The BBC will no longer be funded from fees from 2027
The BBC logo at the BBC entrance
Who: dpa / Ian West
The British government has repeatedly criticized the funding of BBC licensing fees. Now you want to finally cancel the form. Because the broadcaster would then have to finance himself differently, critics feared for his political independence.
DrThe British government wants to defund the BBC’s public broadcasting fee. And Culture Minister Nadine Doris announced in a letter Several British media reported, including the Guardian. Accordingly, funding for the BBC will be frozen for two years and the fee model will be scrapped completely from 2027. Government departments confirmed the decision.
The annual fee will remain at the current level of 159 pounds (about 190 euros) per year until 2024 and will rise again slightly in the following three years. This is the final announcement of the fee, Doris said. “It is time to discuss new ways of financing and marketing,” the culture minister said.
The decision is a major blow to the BBC: the broadcaster will have to develop a new funding model and negotiate with the government in a few years. According to the Guardian daily, a subscription model or partial privatization could be envisaged. Critics say it could jeopardize the BBC’s independence and cost many jobs.
In the past, the Conservative government of Great Britain repeatedly criticized the former public broadcaster’s funding model and cut funds several times. At the same time, the cost of BBC programming has recently risen sharply due to high inflation and increased competition from streaming services. The government’s decision put a lot of pressure on the broadcaster The Guardian quoted BBC. “There is a very good reason to invest in what the BBC can do for British society.”
Voices are growing in the British media that see the decision as an attempt to win more support for Prime Minister Boris Johnson in his current crisis. Johnson has been criticized for attending parties in Downing Street government headquarters several times during the UK lockdown.