BBC Funding Frozen for 2 Years as Cabinet Minister Attacks Public Fee

On the future of the BBC’s funding and purpose, Mr. Sharp and Mr. Davie said that while all options should be considered, “the BBC is owned by the public, and their voice must always be the loudest when it comes to determining the BBC’s future.”

In Britain, the debate around the fee often focuses on the BBC’s news service, and whether everyone should be required to pay for it, said Meera Selva, the deputy director of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford. The BBC also broadcasts other content, including documentaries and dramas. When schools closed during the pandemic, it also increased children’s educational output.

The next question for Britain to decide, Ms. Selva said, is “are we willing to pay for all content or just news?”

Alternative funding ideas include a direct grant from the government, a subscription service or a membership system that makes its content available to everyone for free but is funded by willing members. But unlike, say, Netflix, the BBC is being asked to provide many different services and is required to provide content that might not be commercially viable, Ms. Selva said.

“The license fee,” she said, “is the closest model we have for preserving editorial independence.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/17/business/bbc-license-fee.html