Funding of the BBC World Service
There will be a Westminster Hall debate on funding of the BBC World Service at 3pm on 26 June 2025. The debate will be opened by Peter Prinsley MP.

A Westminster Hall debate on the privatisation of Channel 4 is scheduled to take place on Wednesday 21 July 2021 at 9:25am. The debate will be opened by Dame Angela Eagle MP.
Channel 4 is a publicly owned, non-profit organisation that invests its income back into commissioning content. It receives no public money and is funded entirely through its commercial activity. Most of its income comes from TV and online advertising.
On 6 July 2021, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport launched a consultation on a potential change of ownership of Channel 4. Oliver Dowden, the Secretary of State, said this was needed because the broadcasting landscape had changed “beyond recognition” since Channel 4 began in 1982.
The Government’s preferred option at this stage is for a change to private ownership. According to the Government, this would give Channel 4 “greater access to new strategic and investment opportunities, allowing it to compete effectively in a more agile fashion and ensuring it has the best chance of a successful and sustainable future”.
The consultation is seeking respondents’ views on:
The consultation closes on 14 September 2021.
For further background and a selection of comment, see the Library Briefing Paper, Channel 4 – a change of ownership? (20 July 2021).
There will be a Westminster Hall debate on funding of the BBC World Service at 3pm on 26 June 2025. The debate will be opened by Peter Prinsley MP.
This briefing provides statistics on the TV licence fee and general television viewing trends. TV licence fee revenues in 2023/24 were £3.66 billion. Total BBC income in 2023/24 was £5.4 billion. TV licence fee revenues accounted for around 68/% of total income.
There will be a Westminster Hall debate on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on intellectual property at 2:30pm on 23 April 2025. The debate will be opened by James Frith MP.