[Brekkie]

On the future of the license fee, I'm increasingly of the opinion that the BBC needs to reduce down to ONLY genuine PSB programmes and those which the commercial sector won't go anywhere near. A reduced fee (maybe 50% of now) would fund these services* via either a broadband levy or council tax, and the rest** would be sold off to the commercial sector.

That is never clear cut though. Strictly is the most popular show on TV but it would likely never have been commissioned by the commercial sector. Similarly Bake Off was turned down by rivals before launching on the BBC.

Something like Glastonbury can tick both boxes depending on how you look at it. Discovery have proven the Olympics done by someone other than the BBC just doesn't offer the same level of PSB value, even if on paper it does.

It's easy to pass of popular as commercially viable but that popularity often comes from it being an ad free public service. PSB is different things to different people too - Radio 1 playing Christmas Songs on Christmas Eve sounds like something anybody could do but they have a different connection to their audience than the commercial operators - there is just a bit more warmth to it.

I get the argument but it's as tricky to divide up as it would be scaling back the NHS to "essential services" for example. What is essential to one person isn't to another.