BBC director-general Matt Brittin has said he wants BBC News to be available on streaming and social media platforms including Netflix, YouTube, TikTok, Spotify and Instagram.
Speaking on the Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme, Brittin said the BBC needed to modernise how its content was consumed and funded.
“I’d like to see reform that allows us to be where audiences are,” he said. “I think BBC content should be on Netflix, on YouTube, on TikTok, on Spotify, and Instagram, and everywhere where audiences are.”
He said BBC News had a particular role in countering misinformation, adding: “It’s our job to be everywhere.”
The BBC is predominantly funded through the licence fee, which rose earlier this year to £180 annually. The funding system is being reviewed ahead of the renewal of the BBC’s royal charter in December 2027.
Brittin has previously said the corporation is “held back” by the TV licence fee, describing it as “no longer fit for purpose”, and has suggested a household levy as one possible funding option.
He said such a levy, used in many other countries to fund public media, could be fairer and could reduce collection costs and evasion. However, he clarified that a universal household bill was not the specific model he was advocating, but one of the ideas being discussed.
The standard TV licence is legally required to watch or record television on any channel or service, watch live television on streaming services and use BBC iPlayer.
The BBC’s licence fee income has fallen by more than £1 billion in real terms over the past decade. The 2026 BBC annual report said the number of TV licences fell by more than half a million during the 2025/26 financial year.
The royal charter sets out arrangements for the corporation’s governance and funding. It is renewed every 10 years and is due to end in December 2027.
