The BBC says its new Annual Plan reveals creative highlights for the year ahead, and explains how the broadcaster will continue reforming to deliver maximum value to all audiences. The plan is published at a time when record numbers globally are tuning into the BBC for impartial news coverage of the war in Ukraine. During […]

The Communications and Digital Committee of the House of Lords, the UK’s upper legislative chamber, has launched a new inquiry into the future funding of the BBC. The BBC gets roughly £3.6 billion of its current £5 billion annual income from the television licence fee. Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said recently that it was time […]

James Purnell, a former Director of Radio at the BBC, as well as its Director of Strategy and Digital, has suggested that the Corporation be funded by a household fee, also proposing that the BBC buy fellow public service broadcaster Chanel 4, whose future ownership is being considered by the Government. Writing in the Sunday […]

According to Richard Broughton, Director at Ampere Analysis, the UK government’s plan to freeze the BBC licence fee for two years – and to look at the abolition of the fee in 2027 – is just the latest in a number of major structural and political challenges facing the UK television sector. In a blog […]

Rishi Sunak, UK finance secretary, has led a cabinet pushback against calls by culture secretary Nadine Dorries for an end to the BBC licence fee from 2027. Sunak told Dorries there had not been any cabinet discussion, a view shared by colleagues, according to the FT. On January 17th Dorries tweeted that funding would be […]

UK Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries has said the next announcement about the BBC licence fee will be the last – and it was time to discuss new ways to fund and sell “great British content”. Dorries added that “the days of the elderly being threatened with prison sentences and bailiffs knocking on doors” were over. […]

Sir Damon Buffini and Shumeet Banerji will replace Tom Ilube, who stood down from the Board in the summer, and Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, whose term is due to conclude on December 31st. Buffini was a founding partner of international investment firm Permira and Managing Partner from 1997-2010. He has been Chair of the Royal National […]

The BBC licence fee is expected to be frozen. Households will continue to pay £159 (€137) per year to fund the broadcaster’s television, radio and online content, in a bid to to help families hit hard by the rising cost of living brought on by the energy crisis and Brexit. Negotiations between the corporation and […]

The BBC has reported that its latest figures show more than nine in 10 over-75s households have now made arrangements for a free or paid TV licence. The BBC says this is in line with the broader UK population – the overwhelming majority pay the licence fee to access programmes and services the BBC provides […]

Clare Sumner, Director of Policy at the BBC, has called for a radical reappraisal of the role the Corporation plays in shaping the wider broadcast market to inform the debate about its future. Delivering a keynote speech – The evolving role of the BBC – to the Westminster Media Forum policy conference on ‘The future […]