Written evidence submitted the BBC

The BBC welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee’s Call for Evidence on the BBC’s Royal Charter Review.

On March 5th 2026, the BBC published our response to the Government’s Green Paper on Charter Review in a 100-page document titled “A BBC for All”. This sets out in full the BBC’s vision to boost the UK’s creative economy, support democracy and give greater value to audiences. The response is attached in the Annex below, alongside the BBC’s Efficiency and Transformation Review and independent analysis, all of which we ask the Committee to consider in full.

“A BBC for All” set out that major reform is needed, if we want to ensure audiences continue to enjoy the benefits of public service media at scale. Charter Review is an urgent opportunity for the UK to secure the world’s leading public service media organisation for the UK and beyond. In line with the Terms of Reference for this inquiry, we highlight key evidence provided within that response that the Committee may wish to consider below.

The BBC is a vital national asset under real pressure. It supports our world-leading creative industries and drives economic growth, contributes £6.5 billion to the economy (2024/25) and generates £3.55 for every £1 invested. It is the UK’s number one media brand used by 94% adults per month, and the world’s most trusted international news provider with a weekly audience of 418 million.

However, it also faces unprecedented challenges. Though the BBC continues to be a global success story for the UK, the pace of changes in global security, the economy, technology, audience behaviour and the media have accelerated, putting its future at risk.

These issues clearly extend beyond the BBC alone. The UK’s creative strength, trusted news and shared national culture are all at risk from the growing threats of disinformation and weakening public trust. We face an all-out assault on truth and facts worldwide, with the ability to access reliable information now intertwined with our national security and stability.

Audiences care deeply about the BBC’s role in this. When asked what they wanted the BBC to stand for, 93% of respondents to the ‘Our BBC, Our Future’ survey said it was important that the BBC seeks to pursue truth with no agenda. In this context, the BBC’s value is clear as a UK-owned platform of scale and impact, entirely operated in the public interest and able to compete globally, including through the BBC World Service.

Indeed, the BBC offers something increasingly rare in today’s media landscape: a space for communal moments, shared stories and a platform for civil debate. As a result, the BBC’s content continues to resonate. People turn to the BBC for the moments that matter most – from general elections and major breaking news to cultural and sporting events that bring the UK together. Our start to the year in 2026 shows that the BBC remains relevant and resonant to UK audiences: Small Prophets was the biggest comedy launch episode across the market (excluding specials) since 2024; the highly anticipated return of The Night Manager drew a huge 8.7m, making it the biggest BBC drama debut episode since 2023; whilst the Winter Olympic Games saw an unprecedented 83 million streams.

A BBC of scale enables us to deliver our mission in an increasingly fragmented media landscape as well as acting as a vital driving force in the success of the UK’s wider creative economy. Indeed, the BBC’s long term sustained investment at scale, its ability to take creative risks, its investment in talent and skills; and its commitment to homegrown storytelling shape the wider ecosystem. These factors drive innovation, strengthen regional clusters, crowd in private sector investment and sustain a thriving independent sector. This impact is proven and felt UK wide. As well as contributing £6.5 billion to the UK economy, the BBC supported over 77,000 jobs, with 67% of this contributing directly to the creative industries.

The BBC has ambitious plans to do more and reinvent public service media for the future. These include: countering disinformation, for example, through new tech to help identify deepfakes and delivering high quality verification tools; supporting local news, including by expanding LDRS and targeting 50 million referrals a year to the websites of Local News Partners; growing reach and impact abroad; and moving more money and power across the UK to fuel growth and support jobs.

The BBC would also like to be able do more to represent the whole of the UK, which is vital in staying relevant to, and being valued by, audiences. Likewise, the BBC wants to better meet the challenge of engaging younger audiences, offering standout information, education and entertainment, delivered fresh formats and on the platforms they choose to use.

Though rivals when it comes to ratings, we share a public service mission with the other Public Service Broadcasters (PSBs) and face many of the same challenges. The BBC will continue to work alongside the other PSBs to ensure the legislative and regulatory framework keeps pace with our changing environment. As part of this, the BBC proposes opening up iPlayer to other PSBs, supporting their business models whilst keeping BBC public service content advertising free. It also includes working with the wider UK media market to ensure we can continue to provide good value as audiences move away from broadcast services, and to enable growth in both the AI and creative industries – for example, through the newly launched SPUR Coalition.

However, none of this will be possible without reform. A status quo Charter will not be enough to secure the BBC’s future. The new Charter represents a moment of choice: to back the BBC for the future or leave it to managed decline.

The BBC is seeking to maximise as much value as it can out of every pound of income received. However, it faces sustained and increasing financial pressure as its costs rise faster than its income. By the end of the Charter, it will have delivered over £2 billion in annual savings across the BBC Public Services. Some of this has been reinvested in product and services for audiences. But as the Committee will be aware, this includes taking a further 10% out of its cost base by 2028/2029. While we still have to work through the detail, we anticipate that this will result in the overall number of jobs falling by 1,800-2,000. We know this creates real uncertainty for our staff and our audiences.

We are of course ambitious for the growth of our commercial operations, that provides a vital contribution to the BBC’s income. However, these measures are not a substitute for sustainable public funding.

94% of adults use the BBC per month yet fewer than 80% of households now contribute. This fall in paying households is a result of a mismatch between TV licence rules – predicated on live viewing – and the growing popularity of on-demand consumption and video sharing platforms. This leaves a public service with universal access and consumption, but a funding model that no longer requires universal contribution.

It is clear that the government is faced with difficult choices, but change is needed to secure a strong, universal public service media for future audiences and the ongoing success of the UK’s creative industries. As such, the BBC has three core asks for reform:

• Secure BBC independence by:
• Removing the Charter’s fixed end date, with any decision on the future existence of the BBC supported by a public mandate and subject to appropriate parliamentary scrutiny.
• Making changes to board appointments, including the Chair, so they follow a clearly defined, transparent and broadly consistent process.
• Improving how funding decisions are made about the BBC, protecting the BBC’s operational independence whilst also ensuring the funding level is subject to effective and transparent scrutiny.
• Ensure a universal funding model fit for the future. We need a modernised public funding mechanism that can support a universal public service. One that is fair and affordable, sensitive to the pressure on households from the cost of living and fits with a modern media environment. This should include options to ensure collection and enforcement is fair, proportionate and effective. We are also asking government to find a long-term funding solution for the World Service that guarantees sufficient and stable funding to protect the UK’s interests overseas.
• Modernise regulation, so the BBC can better adapt to changing audience habits. It must continue to place appropriate checks and balances on the BBC’s performance and market impact, but it should also be proportionate and reflect the reality of a market characterised by global competition and rapid technological innovation.

Annex: BBC Publications in Full

A BBC for All: Our response to the government’s green paper - https://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/documents/bbc-response-to-government-charter-review-green-paper.pdf

BBC Efficiency and Transformation Review - https://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/documents/bbc-efficiency-and-transformation-review.pdf

Independent assessment of the BBC’s Efficiency & Transformation Review report -https://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/documents/ey-efficiency-and-transformation-review-assessment.pdf

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