The UK may expand the BBC license fee, charging residents to watch streaming services

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The UK government will consider charging residents a national fee to access video streaming content, meaning it may cost almost $240 a year just to watch YouTube in the region. The Independent reported that later this year, UK leaders will propose extending the BBC license fee to cover streaming video platforms.

For our non-UK readers, the license fee is responsible for a large amount of funding for the BBC. It is levied on all residents who watch content on a television, whether or not that content includes BBC programming. The standard fee is currently £180 (~$239) a year. Paying the fee grants viewers access to all domestic TV channels, several pay TV services, live TV shown via streaming platforms and on-demand content via BBC iPlayer.

The proposed changes would expand the license fee and apply it to several streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon, Disney+ and YouTube. Proponents of the change argue that people can use those platforms on their mobile devices or computers rather than their TVs to evade the tax. "It's not fair that people are essentially able to watch television content but avoid the license fee," an unnamed source told The Independent about the proposed changes. 

The additional funding from expanding the license fee would reportedly be put toward supporting local journalism and combatting misinformation campaigns. The UK's national broadcaster is also facing budget issues, with a 2 million decline in the number of license fees paid over the past five years, according to The Independent. Despite that decrease, YouGov data suggests the BBC remains the most popular media platform in the UK.

The BBC recently announced that it would begin streaming a 24/7 news channel on YouTube for viewers in the UK and the US. The broadcaster already has similar channels active in Australia, Kenya, Nigeria and Poland.