The new Labour led UK Government has confirmed a commitement to the TV Licence providing some certainty on how the BBC will be funded going forward. There had been some debate on the best way forward for funding the state owned public service broadcaster, amid a rise to streaming services such as Netflix meaning some no longer required a TV licence.
Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer has stated that there will be some thought between now and 2027 (when the BBC charter and funding arangements are due to be renewed), but has reaffirmed a manifesto commitment to back the current licence fee.
Typically, most households that watch TV will need a TV licence. You need a TV licence if you watch live TV (includes if you have a TV connected to dish or aerial even if you don’t normally use that method), or if you watch BBC programmes on catch up. You don’t normally need a TV licence if you exclusively use another on demand service such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, or ITV X, but you would if you use a FAST (free ad supported TV) service such as Pluto TV (as the programmes are broadcast live).
This means, excluding those refusing to pay for a TV licence for other reasons, the number of people paying the license fee is gradually reducing, which is a problem for the BBC as the funds it has a available also reduces. Combined with increasing inflation, the BBC has had to make significant cuts to services in order to remain viable, and it is still unclear how future shortfalls will be made up.