BBC to spend £100m on ads to lure Millennials after axing free TV licences for over 75s
BBC chiefs are set to splurge £100m on ads begging millennials to watch more telly - just two months after scrapping free TV licenses for OAPs.
The massive campaign - equivalent to nearly 650,000 tv licenses and more than Radio 4's ENTIRE budget - is expected to be frittered away on social media ads.
Bosses believe the only way to reach Netflix-loving youngsters is to blast them with Facebook ads about new shows.
Only 56 per cent of Brits aged 16 to 34 watched BBC TV every week, down 60 per cent last year - while 78 per cent of adults watch weekly.
The contract's tender document says: "New digital behaviours, particularly for younger audiences, mean that it is becoming increasingly challenging to reach young audiences solely through promotion on our owned media channels."
The £100m contract will be spread over four years and is a significant hike on the current one - which spends just £15m a year on ads.
The move to axe free licenses will see 3.7 million over-75s dragged into paying the £154.50 fee - the first time the age group will have to pay the charge since 2000.
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The 3.7million pensioners who previously received a free licence will have to pay for it from June next year, with charities fearing it will push the poorest into poverty.
A BBC spokesperson said: "It is becoming increasingly challenging to reach some audiences - particularly younger people - solely through promotion on the BBC, so some paid-for media is necessary.
"All media-buying is done with best value for the licence-fee-payer in mind, and the BBC spends significantly less on external promotion than other broadcasters."
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