This briefing provides statistics on the TV licence fee and general television viewing trends. TV licence fee revenues in 2021/22 were £3.8 billion which was higher than the 2011/12 figure of £3.6 billion (in cash terms).Total BBC income in 2021/22 was £5.3 billion. TV licence fee revenues accounted for around 71/% of total income.
TV licence fee statistics (687 KB , PDF)
This briefing provides statistics on the TV licence fee and general television viewing trends. The Licence fee concessions and payment amounts are set by Parliament under the Communications (Television Licencing) Regulations 2004 (as amended). As stated by TV Licencing:
“It is an offence to watch or record television programmes as they are being shown on any channel and on any broadcast platform (terrestrial, satellite, cable and the internet) or download or watch BBC programmes on demand, including catch up TV, on BBC iPlayer without a valid TV Licence”
Currently the annual TV licence fee is £159 for colour and £53.50 for a black and white.
TV License fee revenues in 2022/23 were £3.74 billion which was lower than the 2020/21 figure of £3.80 billion (in cash terms).
The decrease in 2022/23 on the previous year was attributed to flat licence fee pricing and a decline in paid for licences.
Total BBC income in 2022/23 was £5.73 billion, 65% of which came from the licence fee revenues. The remaining 35% or £1.99 billion came from commercial and other activities (such as grants, royalties and rental income).
The BBC estimates that the evasion rate rose from 9.38% in 2021/22 to 10.31% in 2022/23. The highest figure recorded in 2022/23 has been attributed to a number of factors. These include a change in viewing habits, slowing of household growth and cost of living pressures.
The TV Licence fee amount in the UK was ranked 4th highest by the European Broadcasting Union compared to other European countries as of January 2023. The average fee paid in EU countries was a 124 Euros.
The data for this publication can be found in our downloadable Excel file above. Full source details are available in the briefing paper PDF and Excel file. Please get in touch with us at papers@parliament.uk if you would like to access the dat in a different format.
Detailed information about TV licence fee collection, concessions and complaints is available on the TV licencing website.
TV licence fee statistics (687 KB , PDF)
This briefing describes customer protections in the UK mobile and broadband markets. It discusses recent concerns expressed on behalf of telecoms consumers, and looks at reforms aimed at improving fairness and protection.
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