TV licence cost: The surprising amount paid in the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and 00s compared to today

The TV licence has come under fire a lot recently, especially as the cost has gone up yet again this month. There is also ongoing speculation over how the BBC might be funded in the future.

In December, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said no options were “off the table” when it came to reviewing the BBC funding model. Appearing before the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, Ms Nandy said she decided to disband the work that was previously being done into BBC funding, particularly by the last government, and to roll it into a charter review, which they are planning to start in the new year.

Asked if she was thinking about reforming the licence fee, rather than replacing it, she said: “No options are off the table, both in terms of the BBC operational structure and funding models.”

On Saturday (April 26), the MP for Wigan told the Telegraph the BBC licence fee was “unenforceable” and unfair to women. She said: “We recognise there are problems with the licence fee. Fewer and fewer people are paying it. It’s unenforceable and particularly I’ve been very concerned about the way it’s been enforced in the past, with women – particularly vulnerable women – targeted for enforcement action, and the BBC itself has accepted that.”

The BBC launched a poll in March, which it called the corporation’s “biggest-ever public engagement exercise”, to inform the upcoming ‘charter review’. Among the questions are “what the BBC should provide overall”, “how you feel the BBC is doing now”, and “what the BBC should stand for in the future”.

The annual licence fee, which funds much of the broadcaster’s operations, faced years of scrutiny under the Conservative government, with it being frozen for two years at £159 before it was increased at a lower rate than the corporation expected.

Last year, the Labour Government announced the fee will increase in line with inflation each year until 2027, rising this month to £174.50. But how much did it cost in years gone by? Read on to find out what the colour TV licence fee would have set you back in previous decades since its introduction in 1968.

TV Licence price increases since 1968

Following the introduction of the colour TV licence fee, the fee charged has risen - but has it really, when you adjust the cost in line with inflation? The list below includes every price increase since 1968 and has the amount that amount would be worth in ‘today’s money’ in brackets - this was calculated using the Bank of England’s handy inflation calculator.

• January 1968 - £10 (£150.67)
• January 1969 - £11 (£165.74)
• July 1971 - £12 (£149.42)
• April 1975 - £18 (£137.74)
• July 1977 - £21 (£121.56)
• November 1978 - £25 (£134.60)
• November 1979 - £34 (£164.93)
• December 1981 - £46 (£174.71)
• March 1985 - £58 (£176.98)
• April 1988 - £62.50 (£171.42)
• April 1989 - £66 (£172.05)
• April 1990 - £71 (£172.98)
• April 1991 - £77 (£174.48)
• April 1992 - £80 (£173.91)
• April 1993 - £83 (£175.98)
• April 1994 - £84.50 (£175.66)
• April 1996 - £89.50 (£176.99)
• April 1997 - £91.50 (£177.70)
• April 1998 - £97.50 (£186.44)
• April 1999 - £101 (£190.61)
• April 2000 - £104 (£194.72)
• April 2001 - £109 (£201.60)
• April 2002 - £112 (£204.57)
• April 2003 - £116 (£209.03)
• April 2004 - £121 (£215.15)
• April 2005 - £126.50 (£220.39)
• April 2006 - £131.50 (£223.89)
• April 2007 - 135.50 (£225.46)
• April 2008 - £139.50 (£224.05)
• April 2009 - £142.50 (£224.01)
• April 2010 - £145.50 (£221.43)
• April 2017 - £147 (£193.55)
• April 2018 - £150.50 (£193.36)
• April 2019 - £154.50 (£195.01)
• April 2020 - £157.50 (£197.12)
• April 2021 - £159 (£193.98)
• April 2024 - £169.50 (£172.34)
• April 2025 - £174.50

So the results show that although we are now paying more than viewers were when the colour TV licence fee was first introduced, it’s not the most we have ever paid for it. From the late 90s to the early 2020s we were paying relatively more, with the amount currently being paid more like the cost during the late 80s to early 90s.