BBC says channels may close without over-75s licence fee

The BBC has said it will have to close channels and make enormous cuts to its services unless over-75s are made to pay for the licence fee, as it prepares to cover the loss of government funding that currently allows older people to consume its content for free.The average age of a BBC One viewer is now in their 60s – meaning a large proportion of people who consume many of the corporation’s flagship services are not paying for it.