The BBC is a “victim of the culture wars” and is going through a “long, slow and painful decline,” a former BBC leader has claimed.
Lord Birt, who led the BBC between 1992 and 2000, told his peers in Westminster that the BBC had “declined in every programming space” since he left office.
His comments come after it emerged last week that the BBC’s license fee increase would be smaller than previously thought, putting further pressure on its finances.
Lord Birt said: “The BBC still produces glorious programmes, but I see clearly how much it has declined in all programming spaces since I was director-general.
“Last year, the secretary of state tweeted: ‘It’s over for the BBC as we know it. ‘
“Let’s give the game a name: the BBC is a victim of culture wars, and as a result, we are witnessing the long, slow and painful decline of this institution. Will this continue?
The independent expert noted that the rate of some streaming ads has increased by 40% to 83% in the last three years.
At the same time, licence fees have been frozen and will rise to 6. 7% in April, in line with September’s Consumer Price Index (CPI).
That’s an extra £10. 50 per household, bringing the total to £169. 50.
It was expected to increase by around 9%, which would have meant an increase of £15 per household.
The government has also announced an investment style review to look at how the BBC could be funded in the future.
Lord Birt said: “What’s happening in the real world: in the last 3 years, while licensing rights have been frozen, the value of Netflix has risen by 50%, Disney by 83%, AppleTV by 40% – and spending on the NHS, excluding Covid costs, has risen over the same period by around 12%.
“In the period 2010-2020, the BBC had to cut its spending by 30%. After two years of stagnation, there was a further fall in real terms, of around 12%.
“In this context, frankly, this new colony will be a drop in the ocean. “
He added: “It is recognised the world over that the century-old BBC is one of the greatest creations of our times.
“No country in the world has captured its national experience, its cultural expression and its national dialogue so well. “
Culture minister Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay responded that he did not agree with Lord Birt’s characterisation of the BBC’s decline, and the Government is trying to balance giving the BBC the resources it needs with fairness to licence fee payers.
He said: “We want to ensure that the BBC continues to be able to do its work over the next 100 years just as brilliantly as it has over the past century.
“That’s why we’re looking for a deal that’s fair to licence payers, who are currently bearing the prices, but which is also smart for the BBC and sustainable in the long term and supports the BBC in its work. “
Regarding the emerging prices of other service providers, he said: “I think it highlights the advantages that other people get when they pay for their licence fee and the BBC paintings.
“But of course the number of households holding a TV licence fell by 400,000 last year and has declined by 1.7 million since 2017.
“The time has come to take a look at the long-term investment style to ensure the BBC can continue to do its job in a very different media landscape in the years to come. “
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