Public-service broadcaster the BBC could lose the rights for some of UK sport’s top events under a proposed reform of licence fee revenue, according to the Daily Telegraph newspaper.
At present the BBC uses around £150m (€176.8m/$240.2m) of the annual licence fee to acquire rights deemed to be part of the UK’s ‘crown jewels’ list of sporting events reserved for coverage on free-to-air television.
However, government ministers are said to be considering handing a share of licence fee revenue to rival free-to-air broadcasters.
The proposal is said to have been put to Culture Secretary Maria Miller to allow other free-to-air broadcasters to bid for a portion of the licence fee in order to show sporting events on the crown jewels list.
A source close to Miller said: “There is a conversation to be had there as to whether the BBC should be funding things that are also covered by commercial broadcasters. There's an array of sporting events. It would impact on the licence fee. The money that was given to the BBC could theoretically be given to other broadcasters who were doing something that we would consider of public service.
“The BBC covers a whole range of events which private commercial broadcasters pay to cover. The licence fee is not a given right any more. There is an acknowledgement that the change in commercial broadcasters means this is something that needs to be looked at.”
The Telegraph said that the changes could be implemented as part of the renewal of the BBC’s royal charter, which is due in 2016.