TV Licence fee set to rise in April
Current government policy is that the fee rises in line with inflation
The government has confirmed that the TV licence fee will rise by three pounds in April to £157.50, keeping it in line with inflation.
The new fee will equate to £3.02 per week, or £13.13 per month, and pays for nine national television channels, 10 national radio stations, 40 local radio stations, BBC News, BBC Sounds and BBC iPlayer.
Those renewing or buying a licence before 1st April 2020 will pay the existing fee of £154.50 for the next year.
Those who are legally blind are entitled to a 50 per cent discount on the TV licence, which means the new total for their licence will be £78.75 from April.
Meanwhile, the cost of a black and white licence (which, according to a 2017 index, 8,000 viewers continue to use) will rise to a total of £53.
As well as via annual direct debit, it's possible to pay for your TV licence in small weekly cash payments.
The BBC's most-watched events last year included the Gavin & Stacey Christmas special, which broke records with 18.5 million viewers, and coverage of the Women's World Cup, which was seen by more than 28 million.
Meanwhile, there were 4.4 billion requests on BBC iPlayer, where the most popular show in 2019 was gripping thriller Killing Eve.
Other popular BBC series include Peaky Blinders, Fleabag, Line of Duty, EastEnders and Strictly Come Dancing.
