A fourth consecutive reduction in the budget of regulator Ofcom means broadcast licence fees for the next 12 months will either be reduced or remain unchanged.
The budget for 2008/09, set out in the regulator’s annual plan published last December, will be set at £133.7 million (€1.701m). This represents a reduction in ‘real terms’ of 1.5%. This means an average decrease of 2.4% for the television sector, though an average increase of 4.1% for network and services operators.
The annual fee for running a digital multiplex remains unchanged at £10,000 and the annual fee paid by shopping channels is also being kept on hold at £2,000. The cumulative fee structure means that licensees in Category B – applied – will pay 0.04561% on the first £10 million of their turnover.
Separately, Ofcom has also published amendments to its notes and forms for licensable television services.
