George Osborne

Confirmed: BBC to foot licence fee bill for over-75s

The UK government has ordered public broadcaster the BBC will foot a £600 million (US$929.4 million ) bill for free TV licences for over-75s. This is to be phased in from 2018/19, with the Corporation taking on the full cost from 2020/21. Estimates of the cost range from between £600 million and more than £650 […]

Fifth of BBC budget ‘to go in licence fee plan’

UK pubcaster the BBC could see around a fifth of its budget wiped away when the Conservative government announces its latest Budget. It emerged over the weekend a plan to make the BBC pay for the licence fees of people over the age of 75 was being revived. This is estimated to cost the Corporation […]

UK kids biz urges tax break action

A major UK children’s TV lobbying group has welcomed government comments that suggest tax breaks for live-action kids series could be forthcoming. In an open letter to the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, The Children’s Media Foundation urged the tax breaks be committed to in the UK’s Autumn Statement, which outlines government spending […]

Tax breaks fuel UK’s global production hub ambitions

When UK Chancellor George Osborne sat down on March 20 having presented his Budget, the huzzahs of television producers should have been heard even above his own backbenchers, but the picture is a mixed one, reports Tim Adler. This year’s Finance Bill in the UK finally approved tax breaks for high-end drama production, animation and […]