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BBC Licence Fee

It has been reported that the government is planning a shake-up of the licence fee, which could require viewers in the UK who only watch TV via streaming services to pay. 

Currently, UK residents only have to pay for a TV licence if they watch live TV, and not if they only watch pre-recorded programmes via streaming services such as Netflix, Disney Plus, Apple TV+, Prime Video and Paramount Plus. 

(If they watch live shows on those platforms though, such as Netflix's WWE programming, they do require a licence.) 

However, Bloomberg has reported that ministers are considering extending the fee to those viewers, so as to secure funding for the BBC. 

It is said to be one of a number of options being discussed with regards to making the funding of the public broadcaster more sustainable. The licence fee is currently set to rise in April 2025. 

A spokesperson for the Department for Culture, Media & Sport said: "We do not comment on speculation. We will provide more details about Charter Review plans in due course." 

Meanwhile, a BBC spokesperson said: "We want everyone to get value from the BBC, which is why we’re focused on delivering what audiences want from us – trusted news, the best homegrown storytelling and the moments that bring us together. 

"The public cares about the BBC, and this year, we will launch our biggest ever public engagement exercise so audiences can help drive and shape what they want from a universal and independent BBC in the future. 

"We look forward to engaging with government on the next Charter and securing the long-term future of the BBC." 

Earlier this month, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told BBC Breakfast that the licence fee was "deeply regressive" and that she was thinking "quite radically and creatively" about alternatives, but added that general taxes would not be used to fund the BBC. 

Nandy said there was "a whole range" of possible options DCMS were looking at, and that the government was "determined to grip this". 

The BBC's current Royal Charter, which sets out the terms and purposes of the BBC's existence, expires in 2027, and Nandy has already started negotiations with the BBC regarding the next Charter.

29 December 2025 

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