The cost of a TV licence is to rise by £5 to £174.50 in 2025, the government has announced.
Thousands more households are also to be offered support to pay the licence fee, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) announced on Friday.
The fee pays for BBC shows and services, and the government also said ministers will review the BBC’s charter to examine the corporation’s future funding.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said there would be “an honest national conversation about the broadcaster’s long-term future”.
The £5 increase will come into force in April, and is significantly less than the £10.50 rise that was applied earlier this year.
The government said it would expand the Simple Payment Plan (SPP) scheme so 9,000 extra households facing financial difficulty can split the annual payment into more manageable fortnightly and monthly instalments.
The cost of a TV licence is due to increase in line with inflation each year until 2027, following an agreement made in 2022.
The government has returned to calculating the increase by using an annual inflation rate rather than a monthly one, which was used last year.
Meanwhile, the DCMS said it was is scrapping a review of the BBC’s funding model that was set up by the previous government, and is disbanding its expert panel.
Instead, the government will examine the issue of BBC funding as part of the charter review process, before the BBC’s current royal charter expires in 2027.
The charter sets out the terms and purposes of the BBC’s existence and normally lasts for about a decade.
The review “will incorporate independent expert advice, stakeholder views and public consultation to decide on how best to support the BBC’s long-term future”, a statement said.
Nandy said: “The BBC provides much-needed programming for households across the country, including children’s education, world-class entertainment and trusted news for all people in all parts of the UK. I want to see it thrive for decades to come.
“Through the Charter Review, we will have an honest national conversation about the broadcaster’s long-term future, ensuring the BBC has a sustainable public funding model that supports its vital work but is also fair and responsive to those who pay for it.
“In the short term, we are providing the BBC with funding certainty, while supporting thousands more households facing financial hardship to spread the cost of a TV licence.”
Foreign Secretary David Lammy has also announced an extra £32.6m for the BBC World Service in 2025-26.
This article was originally published at www.bbc.com
