Subscription would cost more, says BBC boss

BBC director-general Tony Hall has signalled viewers will have to pay more should a subscription model replace the licence fee.

The crossbench peer said everybody paying something results in producing “great services for a lot less” than if a subscription model or other method was used.

He said the £145.50 charge still has another 10 years of life, claiming the corporation’s audience believes the case for the fee has strengthened.

Speaking on BBC1’s the Andrew Marr Show, Lord Hall also said a “household tax”, as proposed by the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, is a “very interesting idea”.

He added there is broad agreement for the licence fee to be reformed to ensure “everyone is paying equally for it and I would go along with that”.

Lord Hall said the type of reform is up to the Government to decide and the BBC to debate, adding: “It could be a household tax, I don’t know whether that works or not.”