Britain proposes change that hits BBC’s funding
LONDON — Britain’s government announced Wednesday that it is considering a change in the way the BBC is funded, raising the possibility of severely denting the coffers of the nation’s public broadcaster.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative government — which is increasingly at odds with the country’s news media — said it would hold a “public consultation” on whether to stop charging people with a criminal offense if they don’t pay the annual levy that funds the BBC.
The broadcaster gets most of its money from a license fee paid by every television-owning household in the country, which currently stands at $201 a year. Failing to pay can result in a fine or, in rare cases, a prison sentence.
In 2018, more than 121,000 people were convicted and fined for license-fee evasion. Five people were imprisoned for not paying their fines.
The BBC is Britain’s largest media organization, producing news, sports and entertainment across multiple TV, radio and digital outlets. The BBC’s size and public funding annoy private-sector rivals, which argue the broadcaster has an unfair advantage.
Its critics say the BBC’s funding model is no longer appropriate in a digital media world.
Some Conservatives also argue that the BBC’s coverage of politics amid the U.K.’s divisive national debate over Brexit has a liberal bias. But the government denied that its decision to rethink the broadcaster’s funding was politically motivated.
The government said that “the broadcasting landscape has changed dramatically,” with the rise of Netflix and other streaming services triggering a decline in traditional television viewing.
Although it said it would consult the public, the government made clear that it favored the proposed change.
“As we move into an increasingly digital age, with more and more channels to watch and platforms to choose from, the time has come to think carefully about how we make sure the TV license fee remains relevant in this changing media landscape,” Culture Secretary Nicky Morgan said. “Many people consider it wrong that you can be imprisoned for not paying for your TV license and that its enforcement punishes the vulnerable.”
The license fee generated about $4.8 billion for the BBC last year. It’s estimated that removing criminal sanctions for nonpayment would cost the broadcaster about $260 million.
The BBC is already under financial pressure. Last week, it announced it was cutting 450 newsroom jobs, out of a BBC News workforce of about 6,000, as part of a plan to save nearly $104 million.
Although the government acknowledges a decriminalization move would hit the BBC’s funding, it’s not proposing any way to make up the gap. Morgan also said that once the BBC’s current funding period runs out in 2027, the broadcaster’s entire license fee might be in question.
The BBC said a government-commissioned review of its funding a few years ago had “found the current system to be the fairest and most effective.”
Last week, some media outlets, including The Associated Press, declined to broadcast Johnson’s pre-recorded address to the nation marking Britain’s departure from the European Union because the government refused to allow independent media outlets to film or photograph the statement.
On Monday, the government invited selected journalists to a briefing about trade negotiations with the EU, breaking with the tradition that briefings are open to all reporters covering Parliament. The invited journalists walked out after officials refused to admit the journalists’ colleagues, and the briefing was canceled.
The government’s stance has been criticized even by media outlets that have been supportive of Johnson. The Conservative-backing Daily Mail newspaper accused the government of a “crude attempt at censorship.”