1 of 1- paterson1
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BBC Finances In Jeopardy As Over 500,000 Cancel Fee
Last year 539,000 households in Britain cancelled their BBC license fee. This represents over $96 million dollars CAN less for the public broadcaster. People cancelling BBC has been a growing trend recently with over 1 million leaving over the past three years. More detail from MSN and a look what BBC pays their biggest stars in radio and TV. British pound is $1.88 CAN for conversion..500,000 households cancel TV licence putting BBC future in jeopardy
Last edited by paterson1 (July 14, 2026 9:45 am)
- RadioActive
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Re: BBC Finances In Jeopardy As Over 500,000 Cancel Fee
I'm not sure I completely understand this story. Wasn't paying a licence for the BBC mandatory to anyone owning a TV in Britain? So how can the public just "cancel" the charge? If they're talking about evasion, that's one thing. But choosing to cancel it is an entirely different matter, implying it's voluntary.
If only we could do this with the CBC, and see how many people would actually willingly pay for it. Now those figures would truly be interesting!
- RadioAaron
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The fee has run into a relatively modern question: What’s a TV?
If I watch Netflix on my phone, is that a TV? What what about an iPad?
At the cottage I stream to a screen that maybe isn’t a TV as it doesn’t have a tuner?
If they want to maintain the funding, the fee needs to be rolled into taxes ASAP
- mace
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I think people in Quebec would have no problem paying a fee for Radio-Canada and many listeners across Canada wouldn't object to paying for Radio One. The CBC English Television Service is generally where the public has issues. Probably more now that HNIC is gone. Personally, I only watch Corrie Street and Marketplace. Nothing else they broadcast is of iterest to me.
- RadioActive
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Yes and Coronation Street isn't even Canadian.
- ED1
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RadioAaron wrote:
The fee has run into a relatively modern question: What’s a TV?
If I watch Netflix on my phone, is that a TV? What what about an iPad?
At the cottage I stream to a screen that maybe isn’t a TV as it doesn’t have a tuner?
If they want to maintain the funding, the fee needs to be rolled into taxes ASAP
From my understanding, anywhere you watch a LIVE TV channel (whether that’s through Freeview, cable, satellite, or streaming via a cell phone, PC, or smart TV), or watching an on-demand program from
The BBC’s streaming platform requires a license fee in Britain.
If you’re watching on-demand from any other platform, you don’t need a TV license.
Last edited by ED1 (July 14, 2026 2:41 pm)
- Dale Patterson
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Re: BBC Finances In Jeopardy As Over 500,000 Cancel Fee
I'm not sure I completely understand this story. Wasn't paying a licence for the BBC mandatory to anyone owning a TV in Britain? So how can the public just "cancel" the charge? If they're talking about evasion, that's one thing. But choosing to cancel it is an entirely different matter, implying it's voluntary.
If only we could do this with the CBC, and see how many people would actually willingly pay for it. Now those figures would truly be interesting!
Hear, hear!
"Life without echo is really no life at all." - Dan Ingram
- RadioActive
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Re: BBC Finances In Jeopardy As Over 500,000 Cancel Fee
Last year 539,000 households in Britain cancelled their BBC license fee. This represents over $96 million dollars CAN less for the public broadcaster. People cancelling BBC has been a growing trend recently with over 1 million leaving over the past three years. More detail from MSN and a look what BBC pays their biggest stars in radio and TV. British pound is $1.88 CAN for conversion..500,000 households cancel TV licence putting BBC future in jeopardy
Looks like the Beeb is not taking this licence fee rejection lying down. It's now playing an ad on its stations touting how important it is to pay for the British network, and it's corralled a number of famous names to push the campaign.
Among those appearing:
Chris Martin of Coldplay, actress Cate Blanchett and talk show host Graham Norton.
BBC uses highest-paid celebrities to demand licence fee
- BowmanvilleBob
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Here’s the official video for the “What has the BBC ever done for me?” campaign, which debuted during today’s World Cup final:
- Shorty Wave
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Each to their own as I would gladly pay for the BBC but not CBC, which we pay for through our taxes. I think the BBC has decent TV and radio, whereas I think the CBC only has decent radio and sometimes a decent TV show once in a while, not worth all the tax money they get mind you.
- paterson1
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Re: BBC Finances In Jeopardy As Over 500,000 Cancel Fee
I like the way that BBC's regular service has no commercials, but this one they did for themselves and play on the network is 3:45. Maybe a subtle way of letting people know if revenues continue to shrink, commercials could be in the future?
They obviously spent a lot of time and money on this. It will be interesting to see what the public thinks.
I have read comments about BBC and ABC (Australia) on line and the arguments against them are identical to those that dislike CBC. Too woke, I don't watch them so why should I pay, boring programs, too expensive, they push a political agenda, too left wing, just a propaganda tool for the government, state media etc.
Worth noting that BBC costs considerably more than CBC at $338 CAN per household per year and has four times the budget of CBC/Radio Canada.
Would I pay for CBC? If the rate stayed around the same amount at $32 per year per individual probably.
If it was at BBC's rate hard to say since I don't really know enough about their programming. But I do agree that CBC TV has a lot of programming that isn't of much interest. Although the mainstream commercial networks are getting to have the same problem with me. And all have too many commercials and promo.
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Thread Starter- RadioAaron
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Re: BBC Finances In Jeopardy As Over 500,000 Cancel Fee
The fee has run into a relatively modern question: What’s a TV?
If I watch Netflix on my phone, is that a TV? What what about an iPad?
At the cottage I stream to a screen that maybe isn’t a TV as it doesn’t have a tuner?
If they want to maintain the funding, the fee needs to be rolled into taxes ASAP
Missed this reply. Wow; that’s almost all impossible to enforce. No wonder people are opting out en-masse.
From my understanding, anywhere you watch a LIVE TV channel (whether that’s through Freeview, cable, satellite, or streaming via a cell phone, PC, or smart TV), or watching an on-demand program from
The BBC’s streaming platform requires a license fee in Britain.
If you’re watching on-demand from any other platform, you don’t need a TV license.
- RadioActive
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It turns out the BBC made a similar version of this same campaign back in 1986. It featured greats like John Cleese, the Two Ronnies (Barker and Corbett) and David Attenborough, among others. Seems not much has changed beyond the star power of those in the spot.