The British government is freezing the viewing and listening fees of the public broadcaster BBC for the next two years and intends to abolish the fees completely in 2027. Culture Minister Nadine Dorries announced this on Sunday evening. confirmed after coverage of the British newspaper The Mail on Sunday. This means that until 2024, taxpayers in the United Kingdom will continue to pay £159 a year in public contribution to the broadcaster. With the tax not going up in line with inflation for the next two years, as previously agreed, the BBC will have to cut millions in the coming years.
Culture Secretary Dorries, who is known as a loyal ally of Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the Conservative Party, called the announcement on Twitter about the tax “the last” to come. “Time to talk about new ways of financing, supporting and selling great British content.” Dorries did not disclose what the BBC’s financing model should look like after 2027.
Since last November, the British government and the BBC have been negotiating the tax that partly finances public service broadcasting. Downing Street did not want to confirm the reports of the possible abolition of the TV license fees in 2027. Prime Minister Johnson’s office allowed, among other things, the The Financial Times know that the matter is a topic of discussion in ongoing negotiations.
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‘Left Bias’
The announcement comes at a time of political unrest in the UK over parties organized at Boris Johnson’s official residence during the 2020 lockdown. Johnson’s Conservative Party criticized the BBC regularly of ‘left-wing bias’.
Critic see the announcement as part of a package of measures to help the prime minister regain his lost popularity. “The Prime Minister and the Culture Minister appear determined to attack this important British institution because they do not approve of its journalism,” said opposition Labor MP Lucy Powell.
If viewing and listening rights are actually abolished in 2027, the BBC will have to work with a different financing system to continue to compete with private news and entertainment media. Possible options would be a subscription service or partial privatization.
Correction: An earlier version stated that the BBC’s license will be abolished by 2027. That is incorrect, it is about abolishing the viewing and listening fees. That has been corrected above.
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