UK, BBC License Fee Likely to Be Abolished by 2028

Minister of Culture: "Abolished after 2 years of freeze"
Prime Minister's drinking party report also seen as contempt offense

Nadine Dorries, UK Secretary of State for Culture [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] The UK government is considering freezing the BBC license fee for two years and then abolishing it in 2028.

Nadine Dorries, UK Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, shared an interview article on Twitter on the 16th (local time), stating that the BBC license fee will be frozen at ?159 (about 259,000 KRW) until April 2024, and emphasized, "This is the last announcement regarding the (BBC) license fee."

Minister Dorries said, "There will no longer be elderly people threatened with imprisonment for not paying the license fee, nor license fee collectors knocking on doors," adding, "It is time to discuss new ways to support and sell the UK's excellent content."

In the interview, Dorries' office stated, "Viewers aged between 19 and 34 watch YouTube and Netflix, not the BBC," and "We cannot force them to pay the license fee." She also added, "As long as the Boris Johnson administration exists, the license fee system will no longer continue."

Regarding the UK government's move, voices have emerged suggesting that the BBC has fallen out of favor with the ruling Conservative Party. The Daily Mail reported, "The Conservative Party has expressed dissatisfaction with the BBC's reporting direction," and "Government senior officials were particularly angered by the BBC's apology coverage related to Johnson's lockdown parties."

There is also analysis that this is an attempt to save Prime Minister Johnson, who is facing resignation pressure due to various controversies such as the parties and COVID-19 quarantine failures. The Times reported, "This is bait to appease MPs who hold Johnson's fate in their hands," and "Loyalist Minister Dorries said that 'meat' must be thrown to appease backbenchers angry about the Prime Minister's parties."

The BBC's license fee revenue amounts to ?3.2 billion (about 5.2 trillion KRW) annually. The current license fee system is maintained under the royal charter, the legal basis for its existence, until December 31, 2027.

The BBC responded to Minister Dorries' interview article by saying, "Amid unconfirmed media reports about the two-year freeze of the license fee, Minister Dorries' remarks followed," and "There have been similar speculations about the license fee before." The UK government has increased the license fee in line with inflation for five years since 2017 and has been negotiating license fee policies with the BBC since last year.