South Africa’s public broadcaster SABC is out of cash, and the government has presented a new SABC Bill which proposes examining the existing licence fee, which is widely ignored. The new Bill aims to “regulate the continued existence of the SABC to provide public broadcasting services that contribute to democracy, development of society, gender equality, […]
A review into how the BBC should be funded in the future has been launched by Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer, as new action is taken to reduce the impact of price rises on licence fee payers. The review, supported by a panel of independent experts soon to be announced from across the broadcasting sector and […]
UK Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer has suggested that the government is to block an expected 9 per cent licence fee increase set out in a funding agreement struck by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The fee is supposed to rise in line with inflation from April 2024, and in the three years after that. Speaking […]
South Africa’s public broadcaster SABC is suffering a massive shortfall in funding because of unpaid TV licences. The country is looking at a new funding model for SABC. A question was raised in the South African parliament as to how much is owed to SABC. The country’s communications minister Mondli Gungubele responded saying that there […]
RTÉ, Ireland’s national broadcaster, has suspended its director general over secret payments of €345,000. The board suspended Dee Forbes after the payments to TV and radio presenter Ryan Tubridy, between 2017 and 2020, came to light in an internal audit. The board apologised for what it said was a betrayal of public trust. Catherine Martin, […]
The BBC has announced increased support for people who are struggling to pay the TV Licence. A new action plan will aim to reduce the number of women in severe financial hardship who are prosecuted for licence fee evasion. The plan is a response to the BBC’s Gender Disparity Review, which was set up to […]
Following last year’s classical review looking at the sector and the BBC’s role within it, the BBC has set out a new strategy to strengthen its public purpose for classical music, delivering the best music to a wider audience, with a significant new investment in music education. The BBC says that the new strategy ensures […]
NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster, has revealed it will lower its reception fee for its satellite viewers who watch satellite and terrestrial TV. NHK’s president Terunobu Maeda said that the company is preparing to lower the licence fee by roughly 10 per cent as early as October 2023. An NHK senior management meeting is due on […]
The BBC World Service has outlined plans to accelerate its digital offering and increase impact with audiences around the globe. The broadcaster says this supports its strategy, announced earlier this year, to “create a modern, digital-led and streamlined organisation that drives the most value from the licence fee and delivers more for audiences”. Changing audience […]
Tim Davie, the BBC’s Director-General, has acknowledged that the Licence Fee is the ‘least bad’ option for funding the Corporation, an observation made by current BBC Chairman Richard Sharp before taking up his post and repeated by former Broadcast Minister John Whittingdale earlier in 2022. “If you believe in universal broadcasting, the pressure is on […]