BBC licence fee could extend to streaming services under ‘YouTube tax’ – report
A White Paper on the BBC’s charter renewal is expected to be published before Christmas (Lucy North/PA) PA Archive Sean O'Grady 3 minutes ago The BBC licence fee will be extended to online streaming services such as YouTube and Netflix under new Government plans, it has been reported.
According to The Independent , the plan is to extend the licence fee to these platforms to prevent people from avoiding it by logging on to the internet via their phones, tablets or laptops.
A White Paper on the BBC’s charter renewal is expected to be published before Christmas, which will set out how the corporation will be governed, regulated and funded from 2028 onwards.
Currently, anyone who uses a television to watch content must pay the licence fee, even if they do not watch the BBC. The fee rose to £180 on April 1.
The YouTube logo is displayed on a smartphone screen (Alamy?PA) Under the proposed changes, the fee would expand to streamers including Amazon and Disney+, which are currently exempt from the licence fee.
The publication reports that the new arrangements have been called the “YouTube tax” because the site is by far the biggest online video platform in the UK.
A BBC spokesperson said: “We have consistently argued that the current funding model is outdated and needs reform.
“We will continue to engage with Government to secure a new charter that provides sustainable, sufficient and universal funding so the BBC can deliver for audiences for generations to come.”
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said in a statement: “The BBC must be funded by a model that is sustainable and fair to all those that are paying it.
“Through charter review, we are looking at a range of options, including how the licence fee could be reformed, but no final decisions have been made.”
BBC director-general Matt Brittin said last month that he wants BBC News to be on streaming sites such as Netflix in a bid to reform how the broadcaster’s content is consumed and paid for.
Anyone who uses a television to watch content must pay the licence fee, even if they do not watch the BBC (James Manning/PA) PA Wire He has also said the corporation is “held back” by its licence fee, which is “no longer fit for purpose”, and suggested a household levy as a potential funding option.
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5News aggregated this summary from the outlet’s public feed. The full article, with all the context, is on www.standard.co.uk — the content belongs to Evening Standard.
