IPlayer fans to pay BBC fee

BBC viewers who only watch programmes online are to be forced to pay the TV licence fee, the Government will announce today.

Ministers will unveil a shake-up of rules to close a loophole so that people viewing via the internet or the iPlayer service must stump up the annual charge, currently £145.50.

And as he reveals plans for the BBC’s next Royal Charter, Culture Secretary John Whittingdale will also confirm the annual fee will rise by inflation every year between 2017 and 2022. A sweeping overhaul of the management structure will also see the BBC’s governors and trust being merged into a single board.

A Government source said: “The BBC is a world-class broadcaster and one of our country’s greatest institutions. Our plans mean the BBC will keep making the great programmes we love and will continue to thrive.”

The new charter will include a commitment to “diversity”, forcing programme makers to “reflect” the audience that the broadcaster serves.