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The British government is reportedly preparing to extend the BBC licence fee, the £180 yearly charge households pay to watch live TV, to cover streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus and YouTube. Watching YouTube in the UK could soon come with a bill.
It has already picked up an unofficial nickname, the “YouTube tax”, since YouTube is Britain’s biggest online video platform with around 55 million users and a 79% reach in the market. A senior government source said people are using these platforms to dodge the fee, and called it unfair that viewers can watch TV content without paying for it. The plan is expected to be part of a government white paper on renewing the BBC’s royal charter, due before Christmas. At present, the licence fee applies to anyone watching live TV on any device, or using BBC iPlayer. On-demand viewing on other services is exempt, so a household that only streams Netflix or YouTube pays nothing.