BBC says ‘irreversible’ trends mean it will not survive without major overhaul

BBC says ‘irreversible’ trends mean it will not survive without major overhaul In opening response to charter review, corporation points to ‘mismatch’ between TV licence rules and viewing habits UK politics live – latest updates The BBC has said it is facing “permanent and irreversible” trends that will ensure it cannot survive without a major overhaul, as it revealed a stark divergence between the number of people consuming its content and those paying the licence fee. In its opening response to government talks over its future, the corporation said 94% of people in the UK continued to use the BBC each month, but fewer than 80% of households contributed to the licence fee. It said the rise of streaming services and digital platforms such as YouTube had caused blurring and confusion around when the licence fee needed to be paid, suggesting there was “a mismatch” between TV licence rules – based on watching live TV – and the nation’s viewing habits . “The BBC has gone from being a service almost every household paid for and used to one that almost every household uses but millions do not pay for,” it said. The broadcaster suggested the licence fee could actually fall for some groups and become more progressive if the government found a way to ensure that more people paid for it, closing the gap between those consuming and those funding its output. The BBC warned that without the change, there would be a “tipping point” at which those still paying the licence fee would resent having to do so, fuelling even greater non-payment. It said the current rules would leave a “diminishing number of people paying for a service designed for and made available to everyone”. Its official response to the charter renewal process, in which it will negotiate with the government over its future, suggested that other platforms such as Netflix or YouTube could do more to alert people when they were watching content that required a TV licence. Audiences watching any live TV on the likes of...