We Need The Licence Fee

It’s no secret that the BBC is more controversial than ever. It has faced accusations that its impartiality has been broken by headline presenters such as Gary Linikear. There has also been an equal pay scandal, while its viewership figures have been in decline for some time now, with the audience of the BBC World Service declining by 12% year on year. With ￡400 million-worth of saving measures being put in place and over 1,000 hours of new TV being cut, many are starting to question the value of not just the licence fee but the BBC itself.

Yet in the face of this, Tim Davies has reaffirmed that the world needs the BBC and that instead of scrapping the licence fee, we need to increase it. The crazy thing is, he’s not wrong.?

At its core, the BBC is a public good. It provides impartial news coverage, which is relied upon by millions of people worldwide. It also carries a level of trust that is much higher than its peers abroad. The reason it is able to provide such a service is that it is funded by the licence fee, as opposed to relying on advertising revenue. This is important. As advertising revenue is decreasing for traditional media, media brands are forced to use more extreme language to attract views. Increased polarisation in the UK is also being reflected in the media with news sites such as GB News.

Despite the increase in polarisation in UK politics and media the BBC has been able to stay largely above the fray. It enjoys widespread popularity across the political spectrum, appealing to both Conservative and Labour supporters, and is the second most trusted news outlet by Conservative voters and the third by Labour voters. Ofcom noted that public service media is highly regarded by the majority for helping its audience understand the world.?

With the threat of AI and fake news on the rise, this is only going to become more important. AIready, AI generated images of Donald Trump appearing to engage with BAME communities have emerged with the intent to encourage groups from ethnic minorities to vote Republican. There is also an alarming ideological gulf appearing between young men and women, where young men are appearing to become more conservative, in part due to the effect of online personalities like Andrew Tate who are able to exploit social media algorithms to push harmful content. The BBC remains an important moderator and continues to be the most common way to access news far in excess of social media or search engines.?

So perhaps instead of scrapping the licence fee, maybe we should consider strengthening it so that the BBC can remain a global bulwark against new threats to media.?