Millions of Britons to receive urgent licence fee warning during BBC's England vs Ghana coverage

Millions of Britons will be hit with an urgent licence fee warning during the BBC's coverage of England vs Ghana tonight.

The BBC is deploying on-screen QR codes during the match at Boston Stadium - with as many as 15 million viewers set to tune in.

Commentators will also reference the payment requirement during their pre-match coverage.

This approach has already been tested across seven previous World Cup fixtures following a successful pilot at the FA Cup final.

A TV Licensing spokesman said: "We regularly test new ways of supporting people to get and stay correctly licensed."

The corporation is taking an increasingly forceful stance to try and coax Britons back into paying up.

BBC figures reveal that 80 per cent of households currently pay, even though 94 per cent access its services monthly.

Senior executives view the tournament as a prime chance to reach occasional viewers who may be unaware that watching any live broadcast requires a valid licence.

A BBC insider described the reminders as a "very soft" nudge.

They told The Times: "We are expecting a very broad audience to be watching the football and there will be a small section who don't often come to the BBC."

Pat Younge, a former BBC executive who founded the British Broadcasting Challenge campaign group, anticipates the broadcaster will roll out similar prompts around its most popular programmes as financial pressures mount.

"It's no surprise that it wants to remind so-called 'BBC lite' viewers that they should be paying to watch," he said.

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"And it simultaneously reminds those people who do pay what it is that they are getting for their money."

The corporation has launched several marketing initiatives including "A BBC for All of Us" and "This is Our BBC" in a bid to drum up support for the under-fire broadcaster.

A new campaign is in development featuring Romesh Ranganathan, Claudia Winkleman and Clive Myrie in a parody of Monty Python's famous "What have the Romans ever done for us" sketch.

The BBC is grappling with a widening gap between viewership and revenue, compounded by rising inflation.

The broadcaster announced last week that it would eliminate 550 jobs, with an additional 1,500 roles set to go as part of efforts to achieve £500million in savings over the coming two years.

Charter renewal discussions have seen the Government open the door to broadening the licence fee's reach to encompass streaming platforms including Amazon Prime, Netflix and ITVX.

BBC sources suggest such an expansion would need to be accompanied by stronger enforcement measures.

The corporation maintains that higher payment rates would ultimately enable it to reduce costs for all households.

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