TV Licences, Rising Costs, and BBC Salaries: What WEU Members Need to Know

What Does a TV Licence Cover in 2025?

Your licence still covers you for:

• All TV channels (BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Dave, and international channels)
• Pay TV services (Sky, Virgin, EE TV)
• Live TV on streaming platforms (YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video)
• Everything on BBC iPlayer, including downloading and recording

You can legally watch TV on almost any device: TVs, mobiles, tablets, laptops, Blu-ray/DVD recorders, and digital boxes like Sky or Virgin.

The Cost of a Licence

From 1 April 2025:

• Colour licence: £174.50 (up £5 from 2024)
• Black and white licence: £58.50
• Blind (severely sight impaired) concession: £87.25
• Other concessions exist for some care residents and over-75s on Pension Credit.

The rise reflects a 2.9% CPI inflation increase set by the government, which has pledged to keep the licence model until the current Charter ends in December 2027.

Fewer People Are Paying

The BBC’s annual report shows:

• 23.8 million licences were in force in 2024–25 (down from 24.1m the year before).
• That’s a loss of around 300,000 households and roughly £50m less revenue.
• Younger audiences in particular are drifting to YouTube, Netflix, and other platforms.

The decline intensifies the debate about whether the licence model can last. The government will open a Charter review in 2025 to discuss the BBC’s long-term funding.

The BBC’s Defence

• BBC bosses say they will not accept moving to an advertising-based or subscription-only model.
• They argue the licence keeps the BBC universally accessible, while commercial services like BritBox and merchandise (notably Bluey) bring in additional revenue.
• Director General Tim Davie stressed the BBC’s use of AI tools to expand access (subtitling, live text updates, translations).
• Despite audience fragmentation, the BBC still claims it performs strongly, particularly with young people,  ranking just behind YouTube and Netflix for under-16s.

The Top BBC Salaries in 2025

The BBC must publish the salaries of its highest-paid stars. Here are the top six from the 2024–25 report:

Rank	Presenter	Salary Range (£)	Notes
1	Gary Lineker	1,350,000 – 1,354,999	Ex-Match of the Day presenter, left the BBC in May 2025
2	Zoe Ball	515,000 – 519,999	Left Radio 2 Breakfast Show in Dec 2024; now hosts Saturday show
3	Alan Shearer	440,000 – 444,999	Match of the Day pundit
4	Greg James	425,000 – 429,999	Radio 1 Breakfast presenter
=5	Fiona Bruce	410,000 – 414,999	Question Time host
=5	Nick Robinson	410,000 – 414,999	Today programme presenter

How Many Licences Pay for Each Salary?

Using the 2025 colour licence fee (£174.50):

• Gary Lineker (£1.352m) = ~7,750 licences
• Zoe Ball (£517.5k) = ~2,965 licences
• Alan Shearer (£442.5k) = ~2,535 licences
• Greg James (£427.5k) = ~2,450 licences
• Fiona Bruce (£412.5k) = ~2,365 licences
• Nick Robinson (£412.5k) = ~2,365 licences

The scale of the lost income dwarfs even the highest BBC salaries. But when staff and fee-payers see huge sums spent on a small number of presenters, it fuels resentment, especially during a cost-of-living crisis.

Why This Matters for Trade Union and WEU Members

• Equity: A single presenter’s salary can be worth the contribution of several thousand working households.
• Transparency: Publishing salaries is a start, but fee-payers deserve a real say in priorities.
• Affordability: With wages under pressure and household bills high, members question why licence fees rise in line with inflation when the BBC is losing paying households.
• Future of Funding: The 2025 Charter review will decide whether the licence survives or is replaced. Workers should have their voices heard, to defend public service broadcasting but also demand a fairer and more accountable funding model.

What Happens in 2027?

• The BBC’s current Royal Charter ends in December 2027. A full review will decide how the corporation is funded in future.
• Until then, the licence fee continues and rises each year with inflation.
• From 2028, alternatives may replace or supplement the licence fee, including:

A household levy (possibly via Council Tax)

A subscription model (like Netflix/BritBox)

A streaming tax on platforms such as Netflix or Disney+

Advertising or tiered fees (though BBC bosses oppose ad-funding for core services).

• The government says funding via general taxation is off the table, to protect editorial independence.
• The Charter review in 2025–27 will be the moment for unions, members, and the public to have their say on what kind of BBC they want.

The Debate about paying the licence fee continues, People argue that the BBC remains a vital public institution. But with revenues falling, audiences fragmenting, and household budgets under strain, Trade Unions must push the debate beyond celebrity salaries and towards fair, democratic, and sustainable funding for public service broadcasting.

Stephen Morris, General Secretary, has his own personal views on the licence fee:

“The licence fee was appropriate in the past; however, technology and the rise of alternative providers have fundamentally changed how and what people are watching.

Some argue that it is no longer reasonable to expect people to fund the BBC when they do not watch it, especially as many already pay for other services they actively use. On the other hand, a counterpoint is that people also pay for the NHS and education through taxation, even if they choose private healthcare or private schooling.

Currently, the BBC operates under a system that resembles a subscription — but one that is effectively compulsory, with the threat of prosecution for non-payment. In contrast, true subscription services are voluntary: if you do not pay, you simply lose access.

In my view, the BBC should move towards a voluntary subscription model, where people have the choice to pay for the service rather than being compelled to do so.”