The British government is considering a plan to expand the BBC television license fee to cover people who watch content on streaming services. The proposal, informally called the "YouTube tax," is intended to prevent people from avoiding the fee by watching content on computers, phones and tablets rather than traditional television sets. Currently, households must pay the £180 ($241) annual fee to watch live television or BBC iPlayer, even if they do not watch other BBC programming. The proposal could require another 3 million to 4 million households to pay. The BBC is facing financial pressure as the number of active television licenses has fallen by about 539,000 in one year and roughly 2 million over five years. The broadcaster collected about £3.9 billion ($5.2 billion) in license fees for 2025–26 but still recorded a £121 million ($162 million) operating deficit.
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