BBC News should be on streaming sites and social media to justify a new universal levy, the head of the corporation has said.

The BBC is predominantly funded by the £180 annual licence fee, which is currently under review.

Director-general Matt Brittin, the former head in Europe of Google, believes the corporation is 'held back' by the fee, which is 'no longer fit for purpose', and has suggested a household levy could be an alternative funding option. 

He told the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme: 'What we need to look at is the current model. 

'You pay the licence fee if you watch live TV or you're on iPlayer. I'd like to see reform that allows us to be where audiences are.

'I think BBC content should be on Netflix, on YouTube, on TikTok, on Spotify, and Instagram, and everywhere where audiences are.

'Particularly news, actually, which I think is part of disinfecting misinformation. It's our job to be everywhere.' 

The BBC's licence fee income has dropped by more than £1billion in the past decade, with the 2026 annual report revealing that the number of TV licences fell by more than half a million in the 2025/26 financial year.

The royal charter, which sets out the arrangements for the governance of the corporation including its funding, is renewed every ten years. 

The current charter ends in December 2027. Mr Brittin clarified that the universal household bill is just one of a number of ideas that are being discussed during the renewal process.

He said that the model has been used in many other countries to fund public media and would ensure a level of fairness.

The director-general added: 'Collections costs are lower, there's limited evasion, but we're living at a time of really difficult costs of living for everyone, and that's quite a big shift from where we are today.'

And when asked why everybody should pay the proposed charge, Mr Brittin said: 'Ninety-four per cent of households every month are consuming BBC content. That's incredible, yet only 80 per cent are paying.

'So there's a fairness issue there in terms of how we fund the BBC and I think that the principle is if we want a BBC that's for everyone, then it needs to be funded by everyone, and how you get that modernisation is critical.'

Mr Brittin added: 'What we're advocating is reform that allows us to offer the services universally and that is modernised towards where people are watching today.'