£169 BBC TV Licence could be scrapped with 'all options being considered'

The £169 BBC TV licence fee could be SCRAPPED, it is to be revealed in a landmark speech today. The BBC TV Licence could be reformed or replaced as all options are being considered by the BBC corporation’s new Chairman.

The new BBC chairman, Dr Samir Shah is expected to say “reforming the licence fee, replacing it, or coming up with a whole new mechanism” are all options being considered in discussions about the corporation’s future.

The chairman will discuss the future governance and funding of the BBC when he speaks to leading media figures and decision makers at Leeds Conservatoire on Tuesday. Speaking at Leeds Conservatoire, Dr Shah will say “reforming the licence fee, replacing it, or coming up with a whole new mechanism” all remain on the table.

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Dr Shah, who has worked in broadcasting for more than 40 years, is also expected to question the “sense of almost perpetual government review over the BBC” and call for innovation and suggest the idea of a permanent BBC Charter.

“If we want a universal public service BBC, that requires a universal funding model. And we have to be realistic that ideas like ad-funding or subscription do not pass that test when it comes to the BBC public service mission,” he is expected to say.

“Both introduce a commercial agenda, which means the priority becomes, not how you serve British audiences, but how you profit from them. And putting some or all BBC content behind a paywall is simply not compatible with public service.

“It prioritises the needs of the better off, and leaves behind the poorer, the more marginalised or digitally disenfranchised.” The new chairman will also discuss how the BBC must reflect the public it serves fully which means it must employ people from all locations, backgrounds, and walks of life.