No longer fit for purpose

BBC boss says £180 TV licence fee is no longer fit for purpose

The BBC's new director-general has described the current £180 TV licence fee as "no longer fit for purpose", saying the broadcaster is being held back by a funding model that no longer reflects how people watch television.

Matt Brittin made the comments as he appeared before the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee as part of its inquiry into the future of the BBC. The former Google executive, who succeeded Tim Davie almost seven weeks ago, said the corporation needed a funding model that matched modern viewing habits while continuing to provide universal and sustainable funding.

On and on it goes, but the phrase "held back" is interesting. Held back from what? Held back from more money presumably, held back by people deciding that BBC quality isn't worth the licence fee.

Yet if the BBC is no longer fit for purpose, then we are bound to ask which purpose Mr Brittin has in mind to ensure BBC survival. We are bound to ask what Mr Brittin has to offer the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee in return for survival. That's what must be on the table, however discreetly obscured, human nature tells us it's on the table.

Is impartial reporting and analysis of government policy and activity on the table? Hardly that, to ask the question is to answer it.