Should the BBC license be mandatory?

A mandatory license fee supports minority tastes

Question: Should the BBC license be mandatory?
Position1 of 2›: Yes, the BBC license should be mandatory
Argument1 of 4›: A mandatory license fee supports minority tastes

Without a mandatory license fee, the BBC would be unable to produce programs that appeal to niche interests and ethnic and religious minorities.

The argument

Without a publicly-funded model through a license fee, commercially viable television networks would need to rely on advertising revenue. To maximise advertising revenue, networks run programs that can attract high volumes of viewers. These are the programs that have mass public appeal. Maintaining a mandatory license fee affords the BBC the freedom to run programs with minority appeal. Not only does this allow for more artistic freedom, but it also means the BBC can run highly tailored shows for cultural and ethnic minorities, including its Asian network.

Context

The private media business model does not allow for programs with minority appeal. The publicly-funded model through a mandatory license fee is the only way to accommodate minority taste.

Premises

[P1]Commercially funded networks rely on advertising revenue and so must run mass-appeal programming to maximise viewer numbers. [P2] A mandatory license fee frees the BBC from that pressure, letting it run minority-appeal and culturally tailored programming, such as its Asian network. [C] Therefore, because it supports minority tastes that commercial models neglect, the BBC license fee should be mandatory.

Counter-arguments

The mandatory license fee isn’t the only model that offers the creative freedom to pursue content with minority appeal. A donation system where the BBC could run through voluntary donations or a subscription model that would also allow for the creation of content with minority appeal. As would a system where the government funds the BBC through ordinary tax revenue rather than implementing an additional mandatory license fee. The rise of digital content has also removed many of the barriers to producing content with minority appeal. Even commercial media outlets are able to run small side broadcasts online very cheaply where they can publish content with less public appeal.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P2] A mandatory license fee is not the only model that allows for programming with minority appeals.