Welsh language channel S4C has secured an improved funding deal from the UK Government which includes £7.5m in new money each year from the BBC licence fee to support its digital offering.
The BBC has had its licence fee frozen at £159 until 2024, which with high TV cost inflation will mean it will have to make significant operational savings. If the Tories are still in power in Westminster the licence fee could be abandoned through charter review from 2028. Such a move would also put S4C’s future in question with its scope to generate commercial income far more limited compared to the BBC.
The new five-year agreement for S4C will see, from its next financial year starting in April, all its funding entirely sliced from the BBC’s annual £3.7bn licence fee.
