Key Facts

The BBC's domestic broadcasting services are financed by the TV Licence.

The Government sets the level of the licence fee.

The current fee – from 1 April 2010 – is £145.50 for a colour licence and £49.00 for a black-and-white licence.

The licence fee pays for:

• the television channels BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Three, BBC Four, BBC News, BBC Parliament, CBBC and CBeebies;
• five network radio services, and digital radio services BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra, BBC Radio 1Xtra, BBC Radio 7, BBC 6 Music and BBC Asian Network;
• regional television programmes and Local Radio services in England;
• national radio and television in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland;
• BBC Red Button, BBC Mobile and the BBC website (bbc.co.uk).

Anyone aged 75 or over is entitled to a free TV Licence for their principal address.

Blind people only pay 50% of the full licence fee.

The Accommodation for Residential Care (ARC) Concessionary Licence is available to those who live in certain types of accommodation and are either retired and aged over 60, or are disabled or mentally disordered.

An ARC Concessionary Licence costs £7.50 for each person's home in the accommodation.

The BBC became the Licensing Authority with responsibility for the administration of the television licensing system in 1991.

In turn the BBC subcontracts the collection to third-party suppliers.

The first licence fee - for radio - was issued in November 1922. The amount was 10 shillings (50p).

The first combined Radio/TV licence - for £2 - was issued in June 1946.

Radio only licences were abolished in February 1971.

The first supplementary licence fee for colour TV was introduced in January 1968.

Broadcast Receiving Licences: 1922 - 2009

Date	Radio	TV B&W (with radio)	TV Colour (with radio)
November 1922	10s	---	---
June 1946	£1	£2	---
June 1954	£1	£3	---
August 1957	£1	£4*	---
October 1963	£1	£4+	---
August 1965	£1 5s	£5	---
January 1968	£1 5s	£5	£10
January 1969	£1 5s	£6	£11
July 1971	---	£7	£12
April 1975	---	£8	£18
July 1977	---	£9	£21
November 1978	---	£10	£25
November 1979	---	£12	£34
December 1981	---	£15	£46
March 1985	---	£18	£58
April 1988	---	£21	£62.50
April 1989	---	£22	£66
April 1990	---	£24	£71
April 1991	---	£25.50	£77
April 1992	---	£26.50	£80
April 1993	---	£27.50	£83
April 1994	---	£28	£84.50
April 1995	---	£28.50	£86.50
April 1996	---	£30	£89.50
April 1997	---	£30.50	£91.50
April 1998	---	£32.50	£97.50
April 1999	---	£33.50	£101
April 2000	---	£34.50	£104
April 2001	---	£36.50	£109
April 2002	---	£37.50	£112
April 2003	---	£38.50	£116
April 2004	---	£40.50	£121
April 2005	---	£42	£126.50
April 2006	---	£44	£131.50
April 2007	---	£45.50	£135.50
April 2008	---	£47	£139.50
April 2009	---	£48	£142.50
April 2010	---	£49	£145.50

* Excise duty of £1 imposed, not receivable by the BBC.
+ Excise duty abolished, BBC given full amount.

Notes to Editors

For more information about TV Licensing - including who needs a licence and how to pay - visit the TV Licensing website.