Quote:
Originally Posted by andrewb
The BBC that we view on tv etc is fully funded by the licence fee.
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Actually, only 75% of the funding provided to the BBC comes from the licence fee, the remaining funding comes via other sources, such as BBC Worldwide, the BBC's commercial arm.
Ofcom are currently looking at options regarding public service broadcasting in the UK, particularly in light of the digital switchover. One option being considered is to distribute the licence fee funds to all companies that bid for PSB services, so companies such as ITV, C4 and Sky could get a cut of it too.
The option of giving all PSB responsibilities to the BBC and so releasing C4, C5 and ITV from such duties, was disregarded a couple of weeks ago.
If you want a picture of a publicly owned provider that has to exist on advertising to exist and no public funding, just take a look at C4. Just take a look at the typical C4 schedule and you'll see what I mean.
If the licence fee ensures that the BBC continues to produce the quality of provision that it does, then I'm more than happy to pay my 38p per day. Of course many people will disagree, but then again most people would choose to pay nothing if they had a choice, even if they don't see the full implications.