Kenneth Glad
The BBC has set out a plan to strengthen Britain’s position in streaming while also signalling that its current funding set-up is under growing strain. In an opening submission to the government’s charter review, the broadcaster says viewing habits have changed in ways it describes as “permanent and irreversible”.
According to the BBC’s charter submission, the corporation wants to widen what audiences can find on iPlayer by hosting programmes from other public service broadcasters.
The Guardian reports that the proposal would include content from ITV, Channel 4 and others, with room for their commercial approaches such as advertising or subscriptions, while keeping BBC public service programmes free of ads.
“It is increasingly clear that in the new world of global streaming, only a few destinations will be successful in retaining audience scale,” the BBC said.
It also said it would look at opening BBC Sounds to UK third parties and creators.
Charter talks begin
The royal charter is the legal framework that sets out what the BBC is for and how it is funded. It is periodically renegotiated with the government, and the current process is now moving into ministerial talks.
The BBC’s submission argues that the licence fee rules no longer match how many people watch television.
“The precise set of rules that require households to be licensed no longer reflect typical audience behaviour among many households in the UK,” it said.
It added: “The TV licence is predicated upon content being consumed via ‘live TV’ (ie watched as it is being broadcast). But on-demand consumption is not licensable, unless it is BBC content consumed via iPlayer.”
Who pays and who watches
The BBC points to a widening gap between usage and payment. It said 94% of people in the UK use the BBC each month, while fewer than 80% of households pay the licence fee.
“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 BBC agrees with the government that a more sustainable funding model is needed,” it added, warning that without reform there could be a “tipping point” in public support.
Sources: The Guardian, BBC
