The BBC could start charging you to watch iPlayer | Grimsby Telegraph

Belts will have to be tightened at the broadcaster, but the bad news didn’t stop there, as Whittingdale also added that the government would “carefully consider” the “future scale and scope of the BBC”, as well as the possibility of decriminalising non-payment of the licence fee.

The changes were confirmed Monday by United Kingdom Culture Secretary John Whittingdale, after rumors of the policy revamp leaked last week.

The measures are designed to help the BBC claw back cash after Mr Osborne said he would force it to fund free licence fees for over-75s – effectively stripping it of £650million-a-year.

Folks who opt out of paying for a TV licence may denied access to iPlayer catch-up content, according to new plans.

At the moment, a loophole means you do not need a TV licence to watch online catch-up services like BBC iPlayer, or to watch “over the top” streaming services like Netflix or Amazon Prime.

Ben Bradshaw, Labour’s ex- culture secretary, also accused the Government of attempting to make the BBC a “branch office” of the Department for Work and Pensions. The calculation relies on the licence fee being linked to inflation, which the government has said is dependent on the BBC charter renewal process deciding the corporation’s scope should remain the same and it can prove it is as efficient.

The corporation will have to take on the cost of providing the 4.5 million licences – worth £145.50 per person – the Chancellor suggested on BBC1’s The Andrew Marr Show.

In their election manifesto, the Conservatives pledged to slice another £150 million from the licence fee pot to extend the reach of BDUK.

“It’s the second time the government has forced a deal on the BBC”, ex- BBC Trust Chairman Diane Coyle told BBC Radio 4.

But Mr Whittingdale said he was pleased “the BBC had agreed to play its part” in helping tackle the government’s “challenging fiscal position” while further reducing its “reliance on taxpayers”.

Webb said that in the current environment, the licence fee deal becomes crucial for the United Kingdom kids business and that there would have to be cuts if funding is reduced.

BBC Director-General Tony Hall remarked: “We have secured the right deal for the BBC in hard economic circumstances for the country. This is a significant assault on BBC independence”. “We could not ultimately obstruct any decision that you made”.

Video: “Licence Fee Income May Disappear”. “I look forward to discussing the full range of issues over the course of the Charter Review period, and will be making an announcement about the process for the Review in due course”.