Former culture secretary Sir John Whittingdale believes the BBC licence fee is no longer sustainable and needs to be replaced by an alternative form of funding due to the rise of streaming services like Netflix and Amazon. As the Labour government prepares for the next charter renewal, options such as advertising or a modified licence fee are being considered, including potentially requiring non-BBC viewers of streaming services to pay the fee. A report from Defund the BBC highlights concerns about the current licence fee model being outdated and unsustainable, prompting the need for a debate on the future role and funding of the BBC.
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Private acquisitions strip more than $1tn from European equity markets
Private acquisitions have removed over $1 trillion from European equity markets in the past decade, according to a report by HSBC Global Research and New Financial, highlighting the shift from public to private capital. The report notes that 1,013 European companies have been acquired, compared to only 130 that relocated to the US stock market, raising concerns about diminishing liquidity and investment in Europe. Policymakers are urged to reform public markets, as the current climate,...
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