The conundrum of how we should fund the BBC hasn’t been solved just yet, but this may be the first inkling of a decent solution.
The BBC plans to launch a paid-for subscription service for on-demand video, in a bid to take on more contemporary rivals like Netflix and Amazon. The launch has been green-lit by officials after extensive talks with prospective partners like ITV and NBC back in March this year.
According to the Guardian, the BBC is likely to charge viewers to watch BBC programmes “after the 30-day window in which they are currently available to watch for free on the iPlayer has expired”. There’s also some speculation that the service will feature at least some original content, as well as content from other providers – like ITV – so that the content offering is sufficiently substantial.
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Speaking to the Telegraph, Culture Secretary John Whittingdale said:
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It’s not yet clear how much consumers will be charged to access the subscription service, or whether merely having a backlog of old content provides enough of an incentive for users to cough up cash. At present, the BBC is funded through the licence fee, a £145.50 yearly bill – that’s £12.13 per month, far higher than the £7.99 charged by Netflix.
The BBC has already confirmed that no existing shows will be hidden behind a paywall as part of the subscription service launch. The Telegraph reports one BBC source as saying: “It’s not like you’d have to pay for a second series of Night Manager.”
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How much would you be willing to pay for a BBC subscription service? Let us know in the comments.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.