United Kingdom considers streaming tax to fund BBC

The British government is considering extending the BBC license fee to include streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon, Disney+, and YouTube. This proposal, informally referred to as the ‘Netflix tax,’ aims to address declining revenues caused by shifting viewer habits and the rise of on-demand content.

Culture Minister Lisa Nandy is expected to present a project regarding this new funding model before the end of 2026. The BBC currently relies heavily on a license fee paid by households watching live television or using BBC iPlayer, which costs approximately £180 per year. However, the number of households paying the fee has seen a decline, dropping by roughly 500,000 in the last year to 23.3 million in 2025.

Proponents of the measure argue that the current system is unfair, as viewers can bypass the fee by watching content on mobile devices or computers via streaming services. The additional funds generated from this expanded tax are reportedly intended to support local journalism and combat disinformation campaigns.