07 December 2023 , 13:34
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While we may love Strictly Come Dancing, Match of the Day, Doctor Who and Masterchef - are such shows really worth forking out another £10.50 for when the BBC licence fee rises?
Like it or lump it, this is how much the BBC licence fee is set to go up by, with the new price introduced in April next year taking the yearly bill from £159 to £169.50. But are you happy about that?
The price of a TV licence has remained frozen for the past two years, and maybe we should count ourselves lucky as the fee hike had been suspected to increase by almost £15 to £173.30.
In a statement to the Commons, Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer also announced a review into the BBC's funding model. Frazer admitted the £10.50 fee "will still be felt by licence fee payers", as well as acknowledging "increasing pressure on the BBC licence fee income" due to "a rapidly changing media landscape".
She said: "The BBC is a great national institution and we want to ensure it is fit for the present and whatever the future holds, while keeping costs down for the public. This means ensuring the BBC is supported by a funding model that is fair to audiences, supports the creative industries and is sustainable in the age of digital and on-demand media."
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If you can't see the poll, click here. In a statement, the BBC Board said: "We note that the Government has restored a link to inflation on the licence fee after two years of no increases during a time of high inflation. The BBC is focussed on providing great value, as well as programmes and services that audiences love.
"However, this outcome will still require further changes on top of the major savings that we are already delivering. Our content budgets are now impacted, which in turn will have a significant impact on the wider creative sector across the UK. We will confirm the consequences of this as we work through our budgets in the coming months.”
Is the TV licence price increase too much? Take our poll above and expand on your vote in the comments below