BBC may have to share licence fee
Updated on 10 April 2008
An Ofcom report says the BBC may have to give some of its licence fee to the commercial broadcasters Channel 4, ITV and Channel 5.
An Ofcom report says the BBC may have to give some of its licence fee to the commercial broadcasters Channel 4, ITV and Channel 5.
That is one of the options outlined by the media regulator in a review into how public service broadcasting could continue to be funded after the digital switchover increases competition between channels.
Ofcom warned that commercial broadcasters could struggle to continue current affairs and children's programmes unless new ways of paying for them are developed.
Ofcom suggests money for the commercial channels could come from either government funding, industry levies or sharing the BBC licence fee.
The BBC did not want to be interviewed on this, but it says it will now launch its own public debate before contributing to the regulator's public debate in the summer.
The accompanying report includes an interview with Channel 4's chief executive, Andy Duncan.
