BBC Licence fee to be abolished in 2027

[knark]

Fucking Tories. Why do people vote for them? Why isn't there a viable opposition?

I would protest against this decision, but, oh, they've abolished that too.

@Svara I dread to think what kind of hellscape you work in where radio 2 is on all day. Perhaps you’d like to listen to a commercial channel where you get all the same crap plus repetitive advertising though?

Sorry to derail , but I didn't realize you could cancel the license fee and not end up in prison ?
We have I player on our tv but I'm still paying 42 or something like that every three months for the fee.

What is the difference between paying it or not? What can we be able to watch or not if I did cancel it ?
I don't think they are particularly left wing to be honest and try to be balanced with the reporting.

I'm a fan of the BBC. I don't watch that much live TV but listen to a lot of radio and BBC podcasts and use the BBC news app. People forget the amount of stuff the BBC put out. I'm happy to pay for it. I bet a lot of people end up watching BBC TV shows on Netflix etc without even giving a thought where they've come from.

The BBC produces consistently high quality tv and radio broadcasting

Hilarious.

I'm not going to deny that there is some good content (the Natural History Unit is exemplary) but output is certainly not consistently high-quality. Some stuff (quite a lot of BBC3 for a start) is better described as "drivel".

Perhaps a subscription service for BBC is needed for people who feel the same as you. But I suspect what you really want is for everyone else to pay for a service for your benefit, whether they use/like it or not.

No, I believe that life is better when people pull together and combine their strengths. So a few of us could pay for radio 4 and a few of us could pay for radio 5, but if we are all paying in to the same broadcaster we get more for our money. There is no need for everything to be commercial and competitive and a zero sum gain.

The radio stations are worth the fees.
How will they be funded in future?

@Ionlydomassiveones

Are the Director General? Your post certainly sums up the attitude of the ‘neutral’ BBC and why people now resent the licence fee. I will mourn the loss of the BBC but their blanket biased coverage of Brexit, overblown salaries to dummies like Tess Daly and Gary Linekar and London-centric wokeness which is so out of step of the rest of the country has done them no favours.

Totally.

And when you consider that the “actor” who plays Charlie on Casualty, and who has a well-deserved reputation for having the acting abilities of a potato, is the highest paid BBC actor - well, the mind boggles.

And also Steve Wright. Who seems to know where the bodies are buried.

@Thelnebriati

Taxes should be proportional to income, so I won't hold my breath but hope they introduce a fairer system.

I agree, in Australia it just comes out of general taxation. I'd prefer that or a subscription model, but sooner than 2027 please!

Bbc produces the best content. A sad day

Good. We only pay the license fee so daughter can watch the crap that is the current Dr Who.

It isn't a decision. Nadine Dorries said on Twitter that she would like to abolish the licence fee in 2028 (note - after the next election) and have a better funding model.

It doesn't mean it is definitely happening so no point taking to the barricades already.

@the80sweregreat

Sorry to derail , but I didn't realize you could cancel the license fee and not end up in prison ? We have I player on our tv but I'm still paying 42 or something like that every three months for the fee. What is the difference between paying it or not? What can we be able to watch or not if I did cancel it ? I don't think they are particularly left wing to be honest and try to be balanced with the reporting.

It's shocking how many people think this

When I cancelled my licence, my mother was really upset and said the oddest things. It emerged she thought it was illegal!

You fill in the form, and yes, I really do fit all the criteria, before anyone asks.

www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/topics/telling-us-you-dont-need-a-tv-licence

I love not having any adverts during a programme , but I agree that some of the celebs are paid way much money and seeing the back of Steve Wright would make my day!

TBH I think this is just the government trying to intimidate the BBC into shutting up about all their misdeeds during lockdown. If you don’t believe me you should hear some of the things the really right wing ones say - many think it’s outrageous and evidence of bias that the BBC is even reporting on the No 10 parties etc (strangely they don’t say that about the telegraph who Broke the story).

Ideally this will scare the journalists into being “kinder” to the PM, is that what we want?

About time! If you want it, pay for it. It should be opt in, not mandatory.

@knark

Perhaps a subscription service for BBC is needed for people who feel the same as you. But I suspect what you really want is for everyone else to pay for a service for your benefit, whether they use/like it or not.

No, I believe that life is better when people pull together and combine their strengths. So a few of us could pay for radio 4 and a few of us could pay for radio 5, but if we are all paying in to the same broadcaster we get more for our money. There is no need for everything to be commercial and competitive and a zero sum gain.

For that, people would need to enjoy what they are getting. If everyone ‘pulls together’ and don’t like what they want for their money, then they pull out. You can see that from the replies on here. Perhaps blame the BBC for its own troubles, rather than the govt. no public sector organization has a right to exist.

The BBC produces consistently high quality tv and radio broadcasting,

Funniest thing I've read today. What year are you talking about?

Ah well. Maybe someone will have the decency to say it out loud - be careful what you wish for - and we will now get the television we deserve.

A lot of us are already watching something else, so won't notice any change.

Having said that, they're changing how the BBC is funded. They haven't said they will abolish it, so I'm not sure anything will change. If there is change, it's more likely they will cancel celebrity nonsense than shut down radio 4 or the news channel.

You do know that the license is for watching/listening to live broadcasts?

Not the BBC directly. ALL television and radio broadcasts.

[quote BowerOfBramble]@Svara I dread to think what kind of hellscape you work in where radio 2 is on all day. Perhaps you’d like to listen to a commercial channel where you get all the same crap plus repetitive advertising though?[/quote]
I've worked in a few warehouses where Heart was on continuously. Practically the same three songs on repeat with the tagline "more music variety". Oh, the irony... Advert breaks were welcome respite.

I'd far prefer peace and quiet. Granted, if something I actually liked was on I'd feel different but using Amazon Music I can pick and choose, with no adverts and for a much more reasonable price (£79/year for Prime including music, video and other benefits)

Sounds like good news, it's odd that at the moment someone can't legally watch any live channels without a license, even if they don't watch the BBC. I think they have been their own downfall by no longer being impartial, and by paying certain presenters and personalities copious amounts of peoples money for medicore content. Some of the dramas are okay, but with a subscription model they could still make them or the talent could go elsewhere, no great loss. Cbeebies is good but their most popular shows are available on netflix etc anyway as they've obviously sold them at some point and again, if a gap is made in that market something will fill it.

A license is effectively £13.25 a month which is more than other subs, its not good value really and radio has gone downhill the past few years imo so also not a huge loss when there are so many other decent channels where you can actually listen to music without having to sit through a presenter pumping their ego up for ages.

@knark

The BBC produces consistently high quality tv and radio broadcasting, despite having their funding cut and cut again. They have journalistic freedom, free from commercial demands or editorial ownership of a single man.

I'm sick of capitalism and commercialism and consumerism. This government relies on soundbites and division and has no shame in legislating against those who would hold it to account.

All of this.

This is appalling news. Awful. Fuck the Tories.

@AlexaShutUp

I'm really gutted about this. The BBC is trusted and respected around the world and is part of the UK's "soft power". Personally, I'd happily pay the licence fee to sustain radio 4 alone. Instead, we'll end up with a bunch of commercial crap on all of the channels.

Fucking tories.

Well we don't have to - if enough of us value Radio 4 for it to continue as a South of England Middle Class-centric channel we can pay it to carry on telling us how bad we are.

@the80sweregreat

Sorry to derail , but I didn't realize you could cancel the license fee and not end up in prison ? We have I player on our tv but I'm still paying 42 or something like that every three months for the fee. What is the difference between paying it or not? What can we be able to watch or not if I did cancel it ? I don't think they are particularly left wing to be honest and try to be balanced with the reporting.

i didnt pay for it for 4 nearly 5 years and despite all the letters and the threats about sending someone out , nothing happened , nothing ! just the letters which i chucked away , i begrudged paying a licence for a channel that produces a load of crap i would never watch and on top of that i had a sky contract for stuff i did watch , i was and still am struggling for money , i dont see why i should pay twice in effect .

eventually i did cancel the sky tv package as we mainly use the internet ,but im now back to getting letters asking me to let them know if i need a licence or not , its farcial as someone else has pointed out why are we under obligation to let them know we arent using it , and i dont know why this cant be brought in sooner as in this year instead of 2027

About time too.