The BBC has warned that significant cuts to its programming will be necessary if it continues to fund traditional TV broadcasts, which would cost around £1 billion by 2045, rather than transitioning to an internet-only model. Insiders have expressed concern that maintaining the current broadcasting system will increase the financial burden on licence fees as more viewers migrate to streaming platforms like Netflix.
UK broadcasters are urging the government to establish a timeline for the discontinuation of digital terrestrial television (DTT) or Freeview signals by the mid-2030s. They estimate that approximately 330,000 households will require support to transition to internet-only viewing and have assured that no household will be left behind during this “TV switch-off.”
However, critics warn that this shift could disadvantage thousands of residents, especially in rural and isolated areas, potentially forcing older audiences and those on fixed incomes to pay for costly broadband subscriptions.
The BBC has countered these plans, emphasising that millions of viewers could be negatively impacted if the switch-off is delayed. An industry insider stated, “The financial burden of maintaining TV aerials until 2045 will compel the BBC and other public service broadcasters to divert funds from their programming budgets. While we compete with Netflix, it’s noteworthy that Netflix does not bear the costs of operating a vast network of 1,000 transmitter masts, which are filling the airwaves for an increasingly smaller audience.”
In its response to the government’s Green Paper on a new BBC charter, the BBC insisted on the need for universal availability that delivers value to licence fee payers. It criticised Arqiva, the operator of the UK’s TV mast network, as being a “monopoly supplier of broadcast infrastructure.” The BBC pointed out, “As audiences increasingly move away from traditional broadcast services, these assets must be managed effectively without imposing excessive charges on consumers. Without regulatory reform, the financial responsibility for these services may increasingly fall upon the licence fee payer, resulting in even less money allocated for programming.”
According to the BBC’s latest annual report, it plans to cut £197 million in program distribution costs in the upcoming 2024-25 fiscal year. Yet, a broadcasting consultant remarked, “It appears the BBC is conceding the prospect of a 2035 switch-off. DTT currently constitutes 46 per cent of TV viewing and remains the only means to guarantee universal coverage without incurring high new costs.”
Arqiva is advocating a “blended” approach that allows DTT to coexist alongside streaming distribution in many households. A petition calling for the ministers to abandon the switch-off, signed by over 143,000 individuals, was submitted to Downing Street this month.
Dennis Reed, the director of the Silvers Voices campaign group, stated, “If this proposal moves forward, millions of older people will either be compelled to purchase expensive broadband plans or will essentially lose access to television entirely.”
