Director general keen to see funding mechanism updated
Tim Davie has said the BBC is open to the scope of the licence fee changing and its funding model becoming more progressive, as he set out what a successful charter renewal looks like.
The director general told the Deloitte Enders Media Telecoms 2025 and Beyond conference that maintaining “sacrosanct editorial independence” from government is crucial to the imminent debate over how the corporation operates over the next 10 years.
He stressed that the BBC is not defensive or resistant to change, and urged the government to arrive at a solution that provides long-term stability and means it can invest accordingly from its privileged position of having secure income.
Davie said: “I don’t want exactly the same system as we have now, but I do want [a funding mechanism] that is universal and it needs proper investment – not the grinding cuts that the BBC has faced over the last 10 years.”
Such a solution would allow the BBC to play a crucial role in impacting society over the next decade and will be “highly catalytic” in in its impact on key issues including ensuring money flows outside of London; he cited Birmingham becoming a centre of excellence via shows such as Masterchef and Salford becoming a world class hub for children’s content.
In echoes of a speech he made last month in Salford, Davie also pointed to the impact it could have on improving education in the UK - “Why should only rich families have tutors? Why don’t we [the BBC] use AI to help us with that?” - and proactive planning around the transition from broadcast to IP delivery.
“We can be a massive enabler of that, ensuring people aren’t left behind. Older people trust us,” Davie said.
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