BBC licence fee has become ‘increasingly out of date’, says Sergeant

THE BBC licence fee has become “increasingly out of date”, former political correspondent John Sergeant has said.

The ex-journalist, 75, said other means of paying for BBC programmes – such as subscription, programme sponsorship or even advertising – should be considered.

He made the comments as BBC boss Tony Hall prepares to step down as director-general in the summer after seven years in the job.

Sergeant wrote in Radio Times magazine that Lord Hall’s successor “will inherit an in-tray bursting with problems”, including “placating female staff bitter about pay equality”, and improving relations with the Government.

But the main issue will be “how to reform the increasingly out of date funding system, based on the licence fee”, he said.

Lord Hall has argued that the licence fee “guarantees... commitment to creativity and risktaking”, saying that “because we are funded by everyone, we must offer something outstanding for everyone”.

But Sergeant, who was the BBC’s chief political correspondent from 1992 to 2000, said “the case for the licence fee, a form of poll tax, has been steadily eroded” by competitors like Netflix and Amazon. “It’s hard to see how the BBC can last in its present form for much longer,” he said.

He said that “for years the BBC was allowed to rest on its laurels as ‘the best broadcaster in the world’” but the argument that the BBC brought people together is no longer the case with so many streaming services.

Sergeant, who also worked at ITV, praised “heroic efforts” from programme-makers, from Blue Plane t to Killing Eve.

But he said: “The average age of the audience is increasing, the number of viewers is falling. Young people are more likely to be hooked on their tablets and smartphones.”