THE BBC is set to charge Americans nearly nine dollars a month to access its news and live TV – the first time ever the broadcaster has slapped a paywall on foreign users.
In a major shake-up revealed Thursday, the Beeb announced that viewers across the pond will have to cough up $8.99 (£6.55) a month or $49.99 a year to access a new “premium service” featuring rolling BBC News coverage, documentaries and ad-free content.
The broadcaster, facing a sharp drop in income from Brits turning away from the TV licence, is now eyeing the US market to plug the financial black hole as reported in the Telegraph.
Bosses insist there are no plans to charge outside the US, but the move comes as the BBC scrambles to replace cash lost from falling licence fee revenues – with half a million UK households ditching the fee in the last year alone.
AMERICAN DREAM
BBC execs see the States as a cash cow, with US audiences increasingly turning to the British broadcaster for impartial news – something many feel they’re not getting from domestic outlets like CBS or The New York Times.
In fact, a 2020 Reuters study showed Americans trusted the Beeb more than some of their homegrown media giants.
The Beeb’s website pulls in a staggering 60 million Americans each month – nearly half its total global audience of 139 million.
But while the Beeb may be basking in US popularity, back home it’s a different story. Licence fee income – which funds most of the BBC’s operations – has plummeted by 30 per cent in real terms over the last decade.
Director-General Tim Davie has warned of “grinding cuts” and called for a hike in the current £174.50 annual licence fee, arguing the BBC needs “proper investment” to keep delivering top-notch content.
PAY TO VIEW
The new subscription, launching Thursday, includes:
- Unlimited access to BBC News articles and features
- Live streaming of the BBC News channel
- A growing library of ad-free documentaries and factual shows
Those unwilling to pay can still listen to the BBC’s radio stations and podcasts, and access a limited number of news stories for free.
Rebecca Glashow, BBC Studios’ global streaming chief, hailed the launch as a “major milestone” and teased more content coming soon:
“We set out to completely reimagine how we deliver the BBC’s world-class news and factual content to US consumers. This is just the beginning.”
CHARTER CHATTER
The move comes as the BBC prepares for crunch talks over its Royal Charter renewal, which will decide how the broadcaster is funded going forward.
Many believe the licence fee in the UK is “unenforceable” but Labour wants a “sustainable” funding model for what they called a “vital public service.”
Whether that means more paywalls or a total overhaul of the licence fee remains to be seen – but one thing’s clear: the BBC is going global, and it wants Americans to foot the bill.
Once they establish a payment model, the UK govt can tell them to roll that out worldwide.
A Labour govt won’t do that ofc, they will pay the BBC through general taxation because it’s a lefty propaganda channel that favours them.
The challenge for a new govt in 2029 will be… do they have the nerve to overturn that arrangement? They agree funding models for a number of years, but since the BBC reneged on its commitment to over 75 licences, the govt shuld feel under no ob;lgation to see out the arrangement that happens to be in place when they come into power.
The BBC should be subscription only. The only case for any state funding is for a news service and that should be properly unbiased. How that is achieved when OfCom etc have be subverted by lefties is another question. Overall, it may be best to leave them to be a subscription service in all its content.