Crisis for BBC licence fee as half a million households switch off and cancel payments
Britons are increasingly walking away from traditionally dominant TV channels such as the BBC as they turn their attention to streaming and on-demand services instead.
The latest news is that a whopping half a million households cancelled their TV licence in the past year. It has left many wondering what the future holds for the corporation, as it faces tough competition in comparison to rapidly growing online giants such as Netflix and YouTube.
So many have opted to forego live TV channels and avoid the £169.50 annual fee. The BBC has seen a dip of £80 million in the revenue generated from the licence fee payment. The number of active licences has fallen from 24.4million in 2022-23 to 23.9million by the end of last year.
The news comes amid claims that the channel's reporting is too "biased" and that some, especially younger people, no longer find it relevant. It has been announced that just 69 per cent of under-16s are watching the BBC even once in an average week.
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The BBC recently suffered a scandal over Strictly (Image: INSTAGRAM)The move is expected to save £200million and help the BBC become a "leaner, more agile organisation".
However, all is not lost as some of those losing their jobs will be transferred to those in "growth areas" instead of being axed completely.
The BBC's Director General Tim Davie explained the decision as he revealed that years of below-inflation license fee settlements had placed "serious pressure on our finances".
He explained that, moving forwards, the BBC would be "accelerating our digital-first approach".
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"We need to create a leaner, more agile organisation, and make the most of the digital-first opportunity to redesign our processes, cut costs and serve audiences better," he stated.
"We also need to consider how best to fund the BBC in the long term to secure all the benefits of universal public service broadcasting in the future."
One of the BBC's biggest shows, Strictly Come Dancing, also hit the headlines this year as multiple participants made complaints about "harsh" behaviour towards them by pro dancers, and Graziano di Prima was sacked for gross misconduct after admitting to kicking Love Islander Zara McDermott in rehearsals.
Some viewers previously expressed their feelings about how much the BBC's top earners have been pocketing thanks to licence fees.
Match of the Day's Gary Lineker earns a dizzying £1,350,000 - £1,354,999 per year, Zoe Ball earns £950,000 and scandal-hit Huw Edwards comes in at third place with almost £480,000 - despite being off-air most of the year.
window.topArticlesScript="https://cdn.images.express.co.uk/js/dist/article-top-articles20240723.min.js"Crisis for BBC licence fee as half a million households switch off and cancel payments
Crisis for BBC licence fee as half a million households switch off and cancel payments
Crisis for BBC licence fee as half a million households switch off and cancel payments
Crisis for BBC licence fee as half a million households switch off and cancel payments
Crisis for BBC licence fee as half a million households switch off and cancel payments
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