"The TV licence is totally outdated" - Echo readers call for other ways of paying for BBC programmes

Former political correspondent John Sergeant, who was the BBC’s chief political correspondent from 1992 to 2000, said the BBC licence fee has become “increasingly out of date.”

The ex-journalist said other ways of paying for BBC programmes should be considered.

So, on Tuesday, January 28, in our Facebook poll we asked: “Do you think there should other means of paying for BBC programmes - such as subscription, programme sponsorship advertising?”

At the time of writing, over 1,400 people had voted with 89% saying yes and 11% saying no.

Here are some of the comments we received.

Christopher Waugh Richardson said: “BBC should get funding like all other channels through advertisements during and after or before a program starts. TV licence is outdated now with the amount of streaming being done.”

Pauline Leslie agreed: “The TV licence is totally outdated. I pay a lot of money for my Sky subscription and barely watch any BBC programmes. I think I can name three shows I watch regularly on the BBC. The remainder is things I record from my Sky box. For my Sky payment, I get access to hundreds of channels and as I’m more or less housebound I feel it’s value for money. Not so the BBC. £17.50 per month to watch three shows a week is a joke.”

Mark Loughton commented: “Subscription is it's only hope. The younger generation don't pay it. They will eventually get into power and scrap it anyway. The BBC is literally waiting for the proverbial chair to be kicked from under it.”

Juliet Finley said: “I agree. The TV licence is outdated and should be scrapped. We now have much more choice and not just three channels when it was introduced.”

Carol Hanratty Wood added: “I think you should only pay the license if you subscribed to BBC channels. We don't watch them at all so I would happily go without them.”