UK Considers Making Netflix Users Pay License Fee to Fund BBC

24 comments

1. *From Bloomberg News reporters Ellen Milligan and Ailbhe Rea:*

   The UK is considering making households who only use streaming services such as Netflix and Disney pay the BBC license fee, as part of plans to modernize the way it funds the public-service broadcaster.

   Extending the fee to streaming applications is on a menu of options being discussed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office, the Treasury and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be named discussing internal government deliberations.

   Alternatives under discussion include allowing the British Broadcasting Corp. to use advertising, imposing a specific tax on streaming services, and asking those who listen to BBC radio to pay a fee.

2. Maybe just tax Netflix and Disney properly. 

3. !remindme 365 days

4. The hell should people be paying a fee for them? They are already paid for.

5. Sounds like extortion.

6. Lmao. Really? How about, wait for it, we make the BBC a subscription service – so those who want to watch it can watch it, and those who don’t can go to other providers.

7. How about we stop funding the BBC or as I like to call them the PPC (paedophile protection corporation)?

8. This is such a joke this shit was figured out years ago
   Just have a look how sky and netfix do it.
   They had the perfect time when they shut off the analogue signal but they deliberately decided not to have it the same way sky was at the time ie.a card slot
   They would loose a shit load of money.
   The BBC/Government do not want it to be optional but they won’t say it directly because they want it to seem unbiased….

9. This would be a ridiculous political own goal.

   Forcing people who have deliberately opted out of watching the BBC to pay for it anyway will just generate negative headlines. At that point, just be honest and refer to it as the ‘BBC tax’ as it’s clearly not optional.

   In my opinion, the BBC should be reduced to concentrate on news, current affairs, and documentaries. Other channels can do game shows, reality TV, etc.

10. It makes no sense. Their already bullshit reason is the BBC pay the lion’s share of the upkeep of masts, etc. There’s nothing remotely resembling a mast or anything from Netflix’s servers to my telly. The beeb don’t pay for the Internet backbone or even the fibre/copper networks. Netflix is nothing to do with terrestrial TV.

11. This would be very funny.

12. This is wrong, I’ve not watched a BBC program in over 10 years because it’s all garbage.. forcing people to pay a liscense will lead to people dumping the subscription services and going to piracy.

13. This is going to be unpopular but I am all for this.

    We need an independent media organisation with a commitment to impartiality in this country, and it needs to be well funded so the journalists can do their job and expose corruption.

    If you are on the left, you think the BBC is right wing and if you are on the right you think the BBC is left wing.

    It is, along with the NHS one of the great triumphs of this nation and it needs our support.

14. If they do that then the bbc will be a subscription service under the next ReformaTory government…

15. As long as im not streaming live events Im set. I dont pay the licence to use the channel 4 app.

    Ridiculous policy

16. Shiver me timbers

17. It’s a shame how little value is placed on the decades of quality children’s entertainment and radio.

18. I rather venture the seas.

19. If I HAVE to pay (another tax), I don’t want Farage airtime please. At least have some others on the same amount. Cheers

20. This is a service without demand, let it die.

21. The BBC completely missed the boat by not making iPlayer a competitor to netflix when it had the chance; we shouldn’t have to pay for their commercial failings.

22. Fine, won’t watch it then.

23. LMAO, why not just add it to our pay slip taxes? It’s a tax lets be honest.

    I’d suggest the following…if u opt out u should pay an annual fee of like…I dunno…£25….to cover vital public s3rvice broadcasting…e.g. emergency broadcasting etc. It could come out of your benefits or payslip £2 ish per month. Seems fair to those that don’t want to pay.

    If u want the whole thing then pay the whole license.

    That said…I do think it’s value for money and if it were optional I’d pay it at its current rate.

24. This is such bs. Why tf should we have to pay the bbc when you don’t use their services?!

    Streaming services have nothing to do with the bbc, therefore we shouldn’t be paying them anything.

    Make the bbc opt in, subscription based service.

    If this gets brought in, then it’s just another nail in labour’s coffin. They really shouldn’t be trying to annoy people any more than they are already.

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