Select committee: Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 5
56th Report - BBC Accounts and Trust Statement 2024–25
Published 21 Nov 2025
Addressed to HM Treasury
Public Accounts Committee BBC Accounts and Trust Statement 2024-25 All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
The BBC’s mission to ‘serve all audiences’ is at risk as younger audiences choose other media providers, while the BBC’s digital- first strategy could risk alienating non digital audiences. As younger viewers turn to other platforms and older or less digitally connected audiences’ risk being left behind, the BBC’s ability to serve all audiences, a core part of its public mission, is under pressure. Just 51% of younger people feel the BBC reflects them, and their overall use of BBC services, whether TV, radio or online, is significantly lower than other age groups. 4 With audiences now able to access an unprecedented range of content from a variety of providers, the BBC faces intense competition for attention. Its digital-first strategy is an important response, and there are promising signs of innovation, such as using platforms like TikTok to share news content with new demographics. However, this shift also carries a risk: those without reliable digital access could find themselves excluded from core BBC services. Ensuring access across all platforms is essential if the BBC is to remain a universal public service. recommendation The BBC should set out clearly in its response to this report how it will ensure access and engagement with all audiences, including innovation in digital access.
From: Public Accounts Committee, 56th Report - BBC Accounts and Trust Statement 2024–25 (HC 1230), 21 November 2025
Government response
Latest Treasury Minutes progress report to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Fifty-sixth Report of Session 2024-26
The government responded to the whole report on 4 June 2026 (deadline 21 January 2026).
Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Fifty-sixth report from Session 2024-26
Published 19 January 2026.
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The BBC's response agrees with some recommendations, partially agrees with others and disagrees with the recommendation to report on targets for reducing "no-licence needed" declarations and evasion.
- On licence fee collection, the BBC agrees with modernising collection and enforcement for online viewing, but says it is not "currently practical to set a firm timeline".
- It disagrees with reporting progress against targets for "no-licence needed" declarations and evasion, saying "an evasion target is not considered appropriate" and a target for NLNs would not be appropriate.
- On digital licences, the BBC agrees and "will consider the regulatory aspects and practicalities" of making an e-licence the default, with an update in the Licence Fee Trust Statement for 2025/26.
- On commercial returns, the BBC partially agrees, saying it "will ensure" BBC Commercial's overall returns including dividends are published annually in its Annual Report and Accounts, with a target date of 2026.