Overview

• Tim Davie told the Media and Telecoms 2025 conference that he supports overhauling the licence fee to make it more progressive and secure universal funding for the BBC.
• He criticised a decade of “begrudging, grinding cuts” for leaving the broadcaster underfunded and undermining its ability to invest in content and services.
• Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy announced the BBC Charter review will launch later this year and that a creative industries sector plan will be published this month.
• The licence fee was raised to £174.50 in April 2025 and will increase with inflation until 2027 following a 30% drop in real-terms revenue since 2010 and the loss of half a million payers last year.
• Facing stiff competition from streaming platforms such as Netflix and Disney+, the BBC is exploring funding reforms to sustain its public service remit.