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.

I'd pay the licence fee for BBC FOUR alone.

I expect I'm in a minority here though ...

(Backs away)

@Mumofsend

I keep seeing peaky blinders referred to. It's on netflix already.

Many people genuinely do not watch or have anything to do with BBC offerings. I don't watch any live news, I use twitter/support my local newspaper/national news sources online.

The children's TV market is swamped outside of cbeebies.

I haven't watched traditional TV in a decade. How we watch series has changed on a general level.

I support an opt in model to BBC. It shouldn't be criminalised to accidently watch a live stream on YouTube ffs.

I'm baffled how so many mumsnet users really don't understand that people may not actually like BBC content

This is the thing.

I don't care that the BBC is revered around the world, if I don't make use of BBC services why should I have to give them £160 a year to watch the odd bit of tennis on Amazon prime?

It would be like having to give Hovis a daily bread fee even if I only ever eat kingsmeal bread. It's absurd.

Lots of things on Netflix are made by the BBC. They would not be being made in the future.
So if the BBC no longer exists, Peaky Blinders equivalent will not be made.
Channel 4 benefits from the license fee. Channel 4 will end up just doing things like Naked Attraction and none of the quality stuff.

And Britain having no national news channel does relegate it to an insignificant backwater.

Changing how the BBC is funded to a more equitable model doesn't have to mean it's budget is cut, you realise.

The objection is that currently it's an offence to watch live tv not provided in any way by the BBC unless you pay the BBC even if you have no intention to use their services. Bit daft.

Think abolishing it is WELL overdue, should have been abolished years ago. It's absolutely abhorrent that anyone, especially people on low incomes, can skip paying for any other essential utility/service and the worst that will happen immediately is they'll be behind on paying and owe the bill, they'll get help with paying and perhaps help to reduce the debt (water debt etc). But get caught skipping TV licence and immediately be in £100's debt whether you can afford it or not, it's disgusting. Even payday lenders don't quite get to be as money grabbing as that.

I would probably pay a subscription fee to watch BBC, same as Netflix, depending on how much it was, but I find the current system awful.

I do think the licence fee mode needed revision/ People should not have ended up in prison for non-payment of TV licence fines.

The scare tactics in letters etc were very bad and there was an arrogance that o them that was particularly unsavoury.

I also think the BBC was hugely damaged by the Seville scandal and it handled that very badly too, both historically and at the time of the revelations.

However I do think it is a mistake to undermine the national broadcaster to this extent.

There should be guaranteed funding for a slim group of services. On TV, one main channel and a news channel, on radio two or three national channels (popular music, classical music and talk- the last two could easily be combined) plus some support for a local radio network but with far fewer stations, and a website. And the rest can be funded via commercial activity.

It doesn’t need to be the behemoth it has become and it needs to be far more accountable- not to politicians about political coverage but for things like favouritism and cronyism, and over abuse and discrimination.

Saville scandal, apologies

Well, the government announcement today means the BBC goes on beyond 2027, so all of this is now theoretical. In fact, it always was.

@Sort0f

I do think the licence fee mode needed revision/ People should not have ended up in prison for non-payment of TV licence fines.

The scare tactics in letters etc were very bad and there was an arrogance that o them that was particularly unsavoury.

I also think the BBC was hugely damaged by the Seville scandal and it handled that very badly too, both historically and at the time of the revelations.

However I do think it is a mistake to undermine the national broadcaster to this extent.

There should be guaranteed funding for a slim group of services. On TV, one main channel and a news channel, on radio two or three national channels (popular music, classical music and talk- the last two could easily be combined) plus some support for a local radio network but with far fewer stations, and a website. And the rest can be funded via commercial activity.

It doesn’t need to be the behemoth it has become and it needs to be far more accountable- not to politicians about political coverage but for things like favouritism and cronyism, and over abuse and discrimination.

....ah, you don't listen to Radio 3 at all, do you?

Crikey, the mount of pure ignorance on here is stunning. You'd think that people commenting actually used the services - but they plainly don't. So how on earth they can argue for the end of the Licence Fee beggars belief.

It's another form of Farage-style, unpatriotic, arrogant bigotry.

What gets me is people saying they watch BBC output on Netflix so don't need the BBC.
They don't seem to realise that Netflix can stream it if no one is making it.

How sad to see so many people happy to sell the BBC down the river of commercialism. There are some things in life you know - where quality actually matters.

Also a lot of ignorance about being happy to watch bbc content on Netflix.. how do think it was made.

Personally . I would happily give up the telly but would pay the licence fee and more for radio 4 alone.

I have a much better idea. Let's abolish Nadine Dorries and all of Johnson's corrupt apologist cronies. The money saved on handing out government contracts to their mates would fund the BBC ten times over.

@AllThePogs

No ITV's areas are too large. Their local news is of zero relevance to the City I live in.

Maybe for you. IME STV have more local news stories that BBC Scotland, which tends to just repeat whatever was on the main news.

Do you work for the BBC OP.

@j712adrian

Crikey, the mount of pure ignorance on here is stunning. You'd think that people commenting actually used the services - but they plainly don't. So how on earth they can argue for the end of the Licence Fee beggars belief.

It's another form of Farage-style, unpatriotic, arrogant bigotry.

Is it bollocks.

Explain why people who don't watch bbc TV should still pay £160 to watch services NOT funded out of that money?

The BBC proudly display the work of self confessed rapist of his daughters and family dog, Eric Gill.

@AllThePogs

What gets me is people saying they watch BBC output on Netflix so don't need the BBC. They don't seem to realise that Netflix can stream it if no one is making it.

You do realise that the BBC doesn't actually produce a lot of its content these days? It commissions production companies to do so, there's no reason why a commercial broadcaster wouldn't pick up a lot of this stuff. Channel 4 now have Bake-off, remember.

Dear Windy State.

“ Explain why people who don't watch bbc TV should still pay £160 to watch services NOT funded out of that money?”

It’s called supporting your national institutions of culture and learning which make your country great.

It’s patriotic.

Any chance you understand that?

Having said that, Windy State, doesn’t matter what we think.

The Government have decided that the event is not happening, and that the BBC is secure beyond 2027.

Does for me. They’ve recognised how important the BBC is to the U.K., even if some people here can’t grasp it.

It’s unpatriotic, and bigoted not to watch the BBC! What an absolutely bonkers view. There is no way the licence fee will survive beyond 2027 whatever is said now. Young people barely watch it, it’s main audience is over 55s, it’s dying thank the lord.

@DdraigGoch Yes, I understand commissioning. But no it won't be commissioned by others because most of it does not make money. If it did, why is ITV not doing it?

@Theluggage15

It’s unpatriotic, and bigoted not to watch the BBC! What an absolutely bonkers view. There is no way the licence fee will survive beyond 2027 whatever is said now. Young people barely watch it, it’s main audience is over 55s, it’s dying thank the lord.

About half the population is aged over 40 years old. 22% aged 60 and over. It is still a lot of people.

@DdraigGoch of course stuff like Bake Off would still happen. I don't care about light entertainment. Light entertainment is made to appeal to a large audience so is commercially viable.
But for quality dramas and comedies our population is too small to commercially support more than a smattering of this. It is pure economics.
Sure we would still get comedies written to appeal to a US audience. We would not get comedies like This Country that are specifically British. We would lose something and culturally become just an outpost of the US.

@Theluggage15

It’s unpatriotic, and bigoted not to watch the BBC! What an absolutely bonkers view. There is no way the licence fee will survive beyond 2027 whatever is said now. Young people barely watch it, it’s main audience is over 55s, it’s dying thank the lord.

Ha! Then explain who listens to Radio 1, Radio 1xtra, Radio 6 and watches BBC Three?

Do you know any young people???