UK to raise BBC licence fee after two-year freeze

LONDON: The UK government announced on Thursday that the BBC licence fee will rise after a two-year freeze, but the broadcaster indicated the increase would not be enough to ward off further cuts.

The annual household payment, which provides most of the BBC´s funding, will go up to £169.50 ($213) from £159 starting in April 2024, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said.

The government froze the fee for two years in January 2022 and had been expected to increase it by 9.0 percent next year.

But Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said the new rate would instead rise by September´s inflation rate, which was 6.7 percent. “This is a fair deal that provides value for money for the licence fee payer while also ensuring that the BBC can continue to produce world-leading content,” she said.