YouTube News

UK ministers planned to extend TV licence to streaming

Netflix, Disney+, and other streaming apps could face the same £180 annual fee under proposals tied to the licence charter expiring in December 2027.

YouTube viewing in the United Kingdom may soon require the same television licence that funds public broadcasting, under government plans that would also cover Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video.

Households have paid the fee since 1946 when they watch broadcast television. It now costs £180 per year and supports Wales’s S4C as well as the main national broadcaster. Anyone over 75 remains exempt, and enforcement still relies on letters and in-person checks for homes without a valid licence.

Many viewers have long told licensing officials they need no permit because their screens only show streaming and online video. The incoming package could be announced before Christmas and has been described in coverage as a YouTube Tax. The royal charter that governs the fee expires in December 2027.

The licence cost tracks inflation and is due to reach £185.50 in 2028. A spokesperson for the broadcaster funded by the fee said the current funding model is outdated and needs reform.