BBC resorts to big budget promo after 540k stop paying | UK News

The BBC has resorted to a big budget video to promote itself after 500,000 viewers stopped paying the TV licence price. In a three minute long advert, the broadcaster seeks to inform Brits what the BBC has carried out for them.

Romesh Ranganathan is one of nearly 100 stars collaborating in the new promotional marketing campaign, which sees the comic go to the units of a string of BBC reveals, including The Traitors and EastEnders. It also options Doctor Who, despite the company placing the show out to tender.

Amid fierce debate over the licence price and during a value of residing squeeze, the broadcaster’s promo asks viewers: “What has the BBC done for me?”

The query comes as BBC licence price income has dropped by more than £1billion in real phrases over the past decade.

In its 2026 annual report, the BBC revealed that TV licence numbers dropped by more than half a million in the 2025/26 financial yr.

Chairman, Samir Shah, said on Wednesday (July 15) that the company’s funding model means it can not keep its public service mission.

New Director-General Matt Brittin has beforehand described the licence price model as a “busted flush” which is “no longer fit for purpose”.

In the new promo, Ranganathan pushes back against critics of the BBC and reads figures saying money paid to the broadcaster generates more than £6.5billion for the economic system.

The video kicks off with Ranganathan in EastEnders’ Queen Vic pub studying the entrance web page of a paper which asks “Is the BBC really worth it?”.

A person might be seen enjoying the piano with his back turned to the digital camera before he’s revealed to be Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, before a string of stars are rolled out, including Claudia Winkleman.

The marketing campaign also highlights how the BBC delivers coverage of Wimbledon, “a love of nature” through reveals such as Springwatch and even avoids commercials.

Pushed onto a stage which seems to be the Strictly dance-floor, he asks viewers one remaining time, “What has the BBC ever done for me?”, before choose Anton Du Beke seems and holds up a rating paddle displaying a 10 but is told to “bog off”.

Inspired by the 1986 BBC marketing campaign that includes John Cleese, the new movie reimagines the query for a era 40 years later.

Wrapping up the advert, textual content on screen reads: “There’s a BBC for each of us. Funded by all of us.”

The advert fails to point out the massive salaries the BBC’s top stars receives a commission, with former BBC Radio 2 presenter Scott Mills paid between £745,000 and £749,999 for the yr ending in March 2026.

BBC political journalist Laura Kuenssberg was the highest-paid feminine employees member with a wage of between £405,000 and £409,999, according to the broadcaster’s latest annual report.

In a assertion launched along with the advert, Ranganathan said the BBC is not without flaws, but he felt passionately it ought to continue as it “adds so much to our lives”.

In a weblog post to accompany the marketing campaign, the BBC’s Chief Customer Officer Kerris Bright wrote that the purpose of the marketing campaign was to “ensure the BBC gets credit for the fundamental impact it has on society, as well as the things it makes”.

She added the marketing campaign got here at an “important moment” forward of the Government starting the method of renewing the BBC’s Royal Charter and how the organisation must be funded.

Last month, the BBC announced plans for financial savings across its news, nations and content divisions, which is set to ship £160million of £500m in financial savings needed by 2028/29.