The BBC’s DG Tim Davie believes it should be looking at the introduction of paywalls for its news services in markets with higher disposable income and scale such as the US.
Speaking in the FT Future of News conference, he added that while he broadly agrees that paywalls should be introduced faster in some areas as they make sense, there needs to be a balance.
Davie also said that while advertising is still critical for the BBC, in the longer term commercial revenue looks exciting in such areas as production – he emphasised that the BBC produces for other companies, not just itself – and BritBox, where there is a lot of potential for growth.
There will also be more blended funding models.
Commenting on BBC Studios, he said that it is in a unique position and there is a case to be made for borrowing.
