The UK House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee has published its recommendations for the BBC’s next Royal Charter, including proposals that could reshape the broadcaster’s funding, governance and international operations.
The committee, chaired by Dame Caroline Dinenage, has called for reform of the licence fee, including removing its connection to live television and particular devices. It also recommends exploring new revenue sources and establishing a more permanent Charter rather than continuing with the current roughly 10-year renewal cycle. The next Charter is due to take effect from 2028.
Another recommendation is that the BBC should stop competing directly with commercial broadcasters for overseas programming. The committee has also proposed exploring an international television licence as part of efforts to develop alternative revenue streams.
The recommendation with particular relevance for African broadcasters and audiences concerns the BBC World Service. The committee is calling for the UK Government to resume full responsibility for funding the international service, which is currently funded primarily through the licence fee alongside additional government funding.
The World Service broadcasts in 42 languages and reaches an estimated 320 million people globally each week. Its funding model has been under scrutiny because the service provides an international role while relying substantially on domestic licence-fee funding.
The funding proposal follows previous calls from the BBC for the UK Government to take back responsibility for financing the World Service, a role the government held before 2014. The BBC has argued that a more secure funding base would provide greater stability for the service.
For African media markets, any change to the World Service’s funding structure could have implications for the long-term planning of its radio, digital and language services across the continent. A permanent Charter would also change the institutional framework within which the BBC and its international partners plan for the broadcaster’s future.
The committee’s recommendations are proposals rather than final government policy. The UK Government is expected to determine the framework for the next Charter, which will govern the BBC from 2028 onwards.
