Government launches Charter Review to futureproof the BBC

• Government begins review of the BBC's governance, public obligations and funding as part of the process to renew its Royal Charter

• Options in Green Paper to futureproof the BBC so that it commands public trust, drives regional growth and is sustainably funded

• People across the UK encouraged to have their say via public consultation
  
  

The Culture Secretary has launched the once-in-a-decade review of the BBC's Royal Charter with the aim of bolstering trust in the broadcaster and putting it on a sustainable financial footing.

As part of the Charter renewal process, the Government is considering options to ensure the BBC is sustainably funded for decades to come, commands the public's trust - being independent and accountable to the public it serves, represents all communities across the UK and drives growth, opportunity and good jobs.

The BBC is the cornerstone of the UK's creative industries, generating £5 billion for the UK economy each year. It is the single biggest investor in UK content, employs more than 20,000 people and supports a highly trained workforce. The corporation also showcases British culture to the world, reaching 453 million people globally each week.

In the decade since the last Charter Review, technological change has led to shifts in how and where people consume content, with audiences moving away from traditional broadcasting to online content.

The Charter Review is an opportunity to futureproof the BBC to make sure it not only survives, but thrives for decades to come. It will seek to ensure that audiences continue to have access to high quality British drama, entertainment and educational content, as well as the corporation's world-class journalism.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said:

“We want the BBC to continue to enrich people's lives, tell Britain's story and showcase our values and culture at home and overseas, long into the future.

“My aims for the Charter Review are clear. The BBC must remain fiercely independent, accountable and be able to command public trust. It must reflect the whole of the UK, remain an engine for economic growth and be funded in a way that is sustainable and fair for audiences.  

“As a government, we will ensure that this Charter Review is the catalyst that helps the BBC adapt to a rapidly changing media landscape and secures its role at the heart of national life.”

Today (16 December) the Government has published a Green Paper which consults on a wide range of options being considered for the future of the BBC.

As set out in its Terms of Reference, the Charter Review will focus on the following three, interrelated objectives:

• A BBC that commands the public's trust, is independent and accountable to the public it serves, and represents all communities across the UK.
  
  Options in the Green Paper that the Government is considering and seeking views on in this area include:

• Updating the BBC's Mission and Public Purposes to give accuracy equal importance alongside impartiality and improving transparency of editorial decision-making to ensure the BBC explains journalistic processes and how its coverage evolves, especially during high profile events;
  
  

• Giving the BBC new responsibilities to counter mis/disinformation, potentially alongside additional requirements on media literacy to help the public navigate technological change and develop digital skills, including around AI;
  
  

• Introducing specific duties around workplace conduct to ensure BBC staff are protected and the organisation sets the standard for the rest of the sector to follow - including new responsibilities for the BBC Board to ensure action is taken against workplace misconduct.

• A BBC that is sustainably funded for decades to come to support its vital public service role.

Options that the Government is considering and seeking views on in this area include:

• Reform of the licence fee, whether licence fee concessions should be updated, and options for the BBC to generate more commercial revenue;
  
  

• Options for funding the World Service and supporting sustainable funding for minority language broadcasting, including S4C.

• A BBC that drives growth, opportunity and good jobs across the nations and regions of the UK.

Options that the Government is considering and seeking views on in this area include:

• Placing a new obligation on the BBC to drive economic growth, build skills and support the creative economy across the UK;

• Ways in which the BBC can further support the production sector across the nations and regions, including by ensuring that budgets and decision-making power for commissioners are spread across the UK, and by supporting minority language broadcasting;
  
  

• Empowering the BBC to be an ethical and economic leader in adapting to new digital technologies, and enabling it to invest in Research and Development to support growth and drive public service benefits;
  
  

• Encouraging the BBC to deliver more through collaborations and partnerships for growth and public value outcomes, including with organisations across the creative economy, and with local news outlets. 

People across the UK are being encouraged to give their views on the Government's Green Paper public consultation and answer a set of questions. Responses will be used to help inform policy changes which will be set out in a White Paper expected to be published in 2026.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

• The Royal Charter is the constitutional basis for the BBC as a public service media provider and the government is responsible for renewing it. The current Charter expires in December 2027. The Charter Review will be a thorough, open and inclusive process, starting today with a public consultation that will close on 10 March. A draft of the new Charter will then be published and debated in Parliament before the current Charter expires. The Charter Review will complete with the granting of a new Charter for the BBC from 2028.
    

• The Government has today published amendments to the BBC's Framework Agreement which were agreed with the BBC and Ofcom, and which implement the outstanding recommendations from the 2024 Mid-Term Review of the Charter. The changes streamline Ofcom's competition assessments; extend Ofcom's regulation to the BBC's online written public service content; and extend the BBC Board's oversight of the BBC First complaints process.