A cash-strapped BBC is exploring new ways to claw back millions in unpaid TV licence fees , with the broadcaster issuing reminders during its 2026 World Cup coverage .
Audiences watching matches on the BBC at home may have noticed an on-screen prompt to pay the £180 charge as they tuned in to coverage in recent days.
During Brazil’s game against Morocco, a TV licence fee reminder in the form of a QR code, alongside the words “Buy a TV licence. Scan the QR code”, appeared as players returned to the pitch after half-time.
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Commentator Guy Mowbray also made reference to it during the broadcast, saying: “A handy reminder that to enjoy the World Cup, you need a TV Licence. If yours needs renewing, you can scan the code that’s on your screen now to do so.”
The reminder is part of a small, limited trial, The i Paper understands.
The BBC is predominantly funded through the licence fee, which is a requirement for all households that watch or record live TV, apart from those aged 75 or over who are in receipt of pension credit.
But non-payment and evasion – the number of licences has dropped by 1.5 million since 2020 – are key issues for the BBC, costing the corporation more than £1bn last year .
An estimated 12.5 per cent of UK households who should pay for a TV licence do not, according to the latest data from TV Licensing. Evasion is a crime and non-payment can result in prosecuted.
The BBC has warned that the charge is in “irreversible” decline and is asking the Government to introduce a “fairer” funding mechanism .
Some have expressed their irritation in response to being repeatedly reminded about the need to have a TV licence.
“The constant reminders of the TV licence is new to this World Cup and shows how desperate they are. People are leaving in droves,” one X user said.
Another said: “I don’t think they expect to get any extra revenue whatsoever by advertising the TV Licence, they just want to make a political point that you’re watching World Cup football courtesy of the BBC & your licence. I agree it is annoying. Very annoying!!”
The corporation has previously indicated that the cost of the licence fee could be reduced if more people paid it.
It has been reported that the charge could be extended to cover streamers.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has rejected funding the BBC through a levy on streamers or direct taxation, but declined to rule out making Netflix and Amazon Prime subscribers pay the licence fee.
A TV Licensing spokesperson said: “We regularly test new ways of supporting people to get and stay correctly licensed.”
It comes as the BBC attempts to make £500m in savings over two years, with plans for sweeping job cuts, TV programmes to be decommissioned, and radio shows axed.
The cost-cutting plans have seen the broadcaster without a main studio in any of the host countries, instead opting to deliver main coverage from its Salford base, using digital backdrops to emulate the city skylines.
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