The BBC’s new director-general Tim Davie has placed it on the record that he does not support any switch from the license fee to a subscription-style service. Whilst conducting his first speech since assuming his new role Mr Davie said a change of that kind “would make us just another media company” that only serves “the few”.
He did, however, tell staff during the speech that the BBC must undertake “a radical shift in our focus” so that the license fee represents better value for money. Davie did also acknowledge that the BBC is currently facing a “significant risk” and has “no inalienable right to exist”.
Davie said during his speech in Cardiff “If current trends continue, we will not feel indispensable enough to all our audience. We must evolve to protect what we cherish. For the avoidance of doubt, I do not want a subscription BBC that serves the few. We could make a decent business out of it, and I suspect it could do quite well in certain postcodes, but it would make us just another media company serving a specific group”.
Davie described the BBC as “a brilliant national success” but did recognise that the “connection is under pressure and cannot be taken for granted. Across the UK, across all political views, across all of society, and across all age groups, people must feel their BBC is here for them, not for us”.
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Current Affairs Correspondent | My name is Oliver Down I am 22, and a staunch brexiteer. I am a Bristolian lad who studied politics in Leicester. I believe in free speech and accurate journalism and I won’t be afraid to give you “the other side” of the story!
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