Culture Minister John Whittingdale warned that the broadcaster may require different sources of income. He said the licence model is guaranteed until 2027 explaining that the “justification that everybody benefits from paying it because everybody benefited from the BBC is still largely the case, but that will diminish over time”.
He said: “I suspect that eventually, we will need to look at alternative methods of funding the BBC.” He also told the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee said that proposals to decriminalise licence fee evasion were more complicated than thought.
His comments come as the Government prepares to publish its response to a consultation. He said: “It is clear that the alternatives carry with them potential negatives as well with higher fines and bailiffs to knock on people’s door.
“So we are of a view that this is a more complicated matter than was originally perhaps suggested. We will continue to keep it under review.”
Mr Whittingdale also defended Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden for asking Netflix to point out to viewers that the royal TV series The Crown is based on fiction.
