Two million people stopped paying their BBC TV license last year

Nearly two million people stopped paying the BBC TV license fee last year, new figures have shown this week.

The TV Licensing’s annual report for 2021/2022 has shown that 1.96 million households across the UK stopped paying the fee last year, resulting in a £42 million loss in revenue for the broadcaster.

The report warned that the license fee income could decline even more in the coming years as more people switch to streaming services like Netflix and Disney+.

It was also predicted that many people simply cannot afford to pay the £159 fee as a result of the ongoing cost of living crisis.

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Though it was also found that there was a significant increase in the evasion rate, which reached 8.9% in 2021-22.

The report reads, as per The Telegraph: “The BBC expects its licence fee income will fall, at least in the short-to-medium-term, because of cost of living increases since the start of 2022, and the continuing decline in licence sales arising from changes in how audiences view television content.”

Read More: Thousands of pensioners to be hit with TV license bill as free license fee ends

The BBC has blamed the decrease in fee payments on two factors; the suspension of home visits by TV Licensing enforcers due to Covid restrictions, and the number of over-seventy-fives evading the fee following the scrapping of their free licences.

In response, the report said efforts to reach customers ‘in ways that suit them best’ will be increased in the coming year.

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The relaxation of Covid restrictions also means there is now scope for the BBC ‘to undertake more visits to households’ with an approach towards ‘striking the right balance between enforcement and encouragement’.

Their new ‘customer value management approach’ will involve sending letters to non-paying households emphasising how much enjoyment they can get from watching live television programmes on the BBC and its other channels.

The BBC TV licence costs £159 per year, working out at around 43p a day. Anyone who watches or records live TV programmes on any channel, or downloads or watches BBC programmes on BBC iPlayer, is expected to have a valid TV licence.

For more information, visit the official website here.