The BBC is facing an ‘existential crisis’ according to some. But is it time to scrap the licence fee altogether? We put two experts head to head in this week’s Debate

YES: The licence fee model is an outdated relic

The BBC in its current guise is not fit for purpose. Its funding model is an outdated relic and the market has long moved on.

Audiences now prefer subscription-based models, where viewers pay for what they actually want. The benefits are obvious. For consumers, it means choice, not being forced to cough up or face intimidation from a licence inspector trying to weasel their way into their home. For the BBC, it would mean finally becoming accountable to its customers rather than pretending to serve everyone and, in doing so, serving up tiresome sludge.

Recent revelations have dispelled two of the last remaining justifications for the licence fee: the BBC’s so-called soft power and its supposed role as an impartial arbiter of news.

Supporters claim the BBC enhances Britain’s global reputation and spreads our cultural capital. Yet the latest scandals show how its stamp of credibility has been used to whitewash terrorist organisations and amplify their propaganda. Licence fee payers do not support this.

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