BBC could end terrestrial TV and radio in seven years

THE BBC could switch off terrestrial television and radio by the end of the decade, the corporation’s director general has said.

In a speech about the long-term future of the broadcaster, Tim Davie said the 100-year-old organisation needs to consider a full “switch-off ” of broadcast channels to transform it into an internet-only service. He said: “A switch-off of broadcast will, and should, happen over time and we should be active in planning for it.”

Mr Davie said the BBC should “own a move to an internet future” by 2030 and prepare for “internet-only distribution”.

Such a shift would mean no more BBC broadcasts from TV towers after more than a century and all programmes would move to streaming.

Mr Davie said: “We must work together to ensure that everyone is connected, and can get their TV and radio via the internet.”

Freeview, a terrestrial joint venture between the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Sky that is used by 18million people, has a guaranteed spectrum until 2034 but television channels are ultimately expected to shift to internet-only.

The BBC’S iplayer attracts 12 million logins per week and accounts for 16 per cent of viewing of the corporation’s programmes. Despite early streaming success with the launch of iplayer in 2007, Broadcasting House is increasingly grappling for viewers’ attention against US streaming giants such as Netflix and Disney+, and the rapidly growing social media companies such as China’s popular Tiktok.

“Tiktok is now bigger than the BBC in video for 16 to 24-year-olds in the UK,” Mr Davie said. The move to a full terrestrial switch-off is likely to prompt a backlash from MPS amid concerns over digital exclusion, in particular of older television viewers.

Mr Davie admitted that by 2030 as many as two million homes in the UK would not have a fixed-line broadband connection.

The BBC faces an uncertain future amid calls to scrap the licence fee from 2028. It recently secured a six-year deal to extend the levy, although it has been frozen for two years at £159.