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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think the BBC will change or go under?

282 replies

Snowballs4ever · 16/12/2018 17:16

I don't know many people who watch the BBC, most people I know don't have a license and just have netflix, Amazon, now tv etc

I know it has some popular programmes, but I can't see how it will survive longer term when netflix etc are cheaper and imo have much better programmes. Am I in a bubble or aibu to think it will have to have to have adverts/change longer term?

OP posts:
Bittermints · 17/12/2018 08:03

The BBC is far from perfect but if it disappeared or had to cut its services right back we'd lose something unique and valuable. One example: the BBC is one of the few organisations left now which has foreign correspondents, trained journalists held to a high standard, all around the world reporting back to us. We need good journalism and freedom of speech. It's massively important to the health of our democracy that politicians are held to account.

Of course, the journalists and broadcasters also need to be held to account. The model we have now in the UK is far from perfect, but we do have public oversight of terrestrial broadcasters. Who regulates Youtube, Amazon and Netflix? Nobody. That worries me.

OllyBJolly · 17/12/2018 08:09

I'd pay £150 a year for The Archers alone

Me too. And for much of Radio 4.

I love the idea of the BBC and it is still one of the best training grounds for journalists - proper journalists. As a programme provider and content editor, it's gone way off piste in recent years, particularly in news reporting and political comment. It's headed down the shouty, sound bite road rather than the cool, impartial analysis that it should be doing.

I'd hope that good leadership would get it back on track. It's too dangerous to have all our media ownership concentrated in too few hands.

KissingInTheRain · 17/12/2018 08:10

News wise Russia Today is way superior to BBC news too.

Confused
Kazzyhoward · 17/12/2018 08:19

I agree re the online bbc news. Very poor.

BBC breakfast news is also very poor, especially so-called business/financial reporting.

SummerGems · 17/12/2018 08:24

While a lot of people don’t watch live tv any more, a lot of people do still:

Use iPlayer (for which you now need a tv licence) listen to bbc radio 1/2/4, use the bbc news apps, use the bbc website.

It’s fine to say that live viewing is on the decrease, however without a tv licence there would be no radio or website either and those figures are not on the decrease. So while people may not pay their licence for the live viewing, if there was no licence people would miss the radio stations/iPlayer/the website.

I’ve personally never watched anything on Netflix and don’t have amazon prime.

LoniceraJaponica · 17/12/2018 08:25

I am irritated by the fact that more and more online news is video footage. I want to read the news, especially if I am out and about and don't want to use up loads of battery juice and data.

I can't comment on the quality of the BBC news. I am not in the least bit interested in politics, so any political bias/references go over the top of my head. The only news I watch is the 6 o'clock news and Look North while I am cooking the evening meal. Oh and occasionally the 10 o'clock news.

Kazzyhoward · 17/12/2018 08:32

The BBC won't "go under" whilst it's paid for by the taxpayer.

The real question is for how long can it survive based on an unpopular tax? Sooner or later, there'll be pressure for it to stand on it's own two feet and raise it's own funding.

Moominfan · 17/12/2018 08:34

We don't watch BBC, Netflix and podcasts on spotify. I've got younger siblings in their 20s and they don't even know the regular tv channels. I do think it is dying out slowly but we'll never be rid of it

Anticlockwatcher · 17/12/2018 08:34

Not sure why I got the Confused for saying Russia today's news is better than the BBC. Probably because you haven't watched it. Of course there can be a painting of Russia in a favourable light but in terms of global coverage it's streets ahead of the wishy washy, simplistic BBC output.

LoniceraJaponica · 17/12/2018 08:38

I would like to know just how "unpopular" the TV licence cost is - not just on mumsnet. Clearly it is to the mumsnetters who very rarely watch BBC output in any form at all, and probably aren't representative of the viewing public.

Everyone I know who does watch the BBC as well as other forms of TV/video is happy to pay 41p a day to have the option to watch a wide variety of TV programmes that the BBC provide.

whistl · 17/12/2018 08:42

It's not a BBC license though, it's a TV licence. So, don't you have to pay it just to have a TV in your house, even if you never watch anything on it?

I thought they extended it a couple of years ago to included any equipment that can show tv programmes (laptops etc)?

I agree though, the BBC rarely has anything worth watching any more. I find the news reporting very biased towards centre-left politics and Remain, and the rest (drama etc) is a bit holier-than-thou. It's not worth what it costs me, and if others like what it produces then does that not just mean that I'm paying a tax to subsidise their TV entertainment?

Anticlockwatcher · 17/12/2018 08:54

It's not a BBC license though, it's a TV licence. So, don't you have to pay it just to have a TV in your house, even if you never watch anything on it?

If that were the case, which it is not (that the TV license wasn't funding the BBC) then why should anyone pay it just to have a TV in their house?!!!!

What's next, a kettle license? A toilet roll holder license? A fucking pen license like the kids at school have?

All Tax is extortion.

LoniceraJaponica · 17/12/2018 08:56

You need a TV licence to watch any live TV from any channel, and to watch any BBC output regardless of device or whether it is live or on catch up.

If you never watch any BBC output at all, and only watch catch up TV from the commercial channels then you don't need a TV licence.

I must admit that I am struggling to understand that some people can find nothing at all that they want to watch on any BBC channel. The choice is huge. Admittedly the quality varies, but it does on other channels as well. I still find that there is a lot of good quality programmes on the BBC.

Bowchicawowow · 17/12/2018 08:59

I love that someone has posted that Russia Today, a news channel funded by the Russian Government is less biased than the BBC. It’s a fascinating insight into how some people think.

KissingInTheRain · 17/12/2018 08:59

Anticlockwatcher

I have watched it. RT is a joke. If you think what it says is balanced or reliable, we’ll just have to disagree.

It’s the world news equivalent of television evangelism, only with Russian foreign policy substituted for Jesus.

Anticlockwatcher · 17/12/2018 09:09

"It’s a fascinating insight into how some people think."

Indeed. Critically and without being influenced by what is said about it by people who have an interest in shutting down other voices.

Alwaysgreener · 17/12/2018 09:55

You do NOT need a TV licence to own a TV! Wow, the beeb have very cleverly brainwashed a huge percentage of the population into believing this haven't they?!

Bittermints · 17/12/2018 10:04

BBC drama holier than thou? I don't really know what that means but in the last three months I've watched Bodyguard, Killing Eve, The Little Drummer Girl, Trust, Mrs Wilson and there were several others I'd like to catch up with over Christmas. Line of Duty back next year. All top notch.

AutoFilled · 17/12/2018 10:04

@LoniceraJaponica

I must admit that I am struggling to understand that some people can find nothing at all that they want to watch on any BBC channel. The choice is huge.

I'm one of those without a TV license and watches everything on boxset. (It's not catch up because they are not on broadcast TV). I didn't say there's nothing on the BBC. For many, it's that there are too many things to watch and there isn't enough time. I have got netflix, amazon prime video and now tv movies. I don't need the BBC. These three provides more TV than I can ever watch.

DH and I talked about this last night. We don't knwo anyone from work who watches BBC. All the TV that got talked about are on netflix. They are mostly people in the 20s and 30s. Netflix is the TV medium of choice I feel for those in their 30s and younger. (We are in our 40s).

I don't listen to the radio either. We got a spotify subscription. I have spotify on at work and at home. Everyone in my office also seems to have a spotify subscription.

Bowchicawowow · 17/12/2018 10:23

It’s interesting to note that the BBC supporters use ‘licence’ and the Netflix lovers write ‘license.’
I wonder if that tells us anything?

Grin
Junkmail · 17/12/2018 10:28

TV has changed a lot. I for one can’t tolerate the one episode a week model of “live” television. I only have Netflix and prime. There’s nothing I would want to watch on regular TV that isn’t on Netflix or prime so I don’t have a tv license anymore. I mostly watch stuff on my iPad while I’m doing chores TBH.

ViragoKnows · 17/12/2018 10:30

I for one can’t tolerate the one episode a week model of “live” television

I agree. It’s driven me mad recently with a couple of series, so now I'm going to save them up and only watch when the last one drops.

wasthataburp · 17/12/2018 10:41

I agree actually. We have TVs but only use them for Netflix so don't have a tv licence. Not many people I know have a tv licence tbh.

They might change in the future to be funded by advertising instead of licences.

wasthataburp · 17/12/2018 10:45

"I find it very difficult to believe that people who have TV sets watch no live telly ever"

Well it's true. I can honestly say I've never watched live tv in about 5 years at least