[user104658]

Originally Posted by Marsh.

Or rather more basically, if given a simple option of a "free lunch" most people would opt to not pay anything regardless of how much they enjoy the BBC services.

Making payment optional isn't a sufficient measure of the quality of the BBC.

Supply and demand though, surely? People DO pay for things that they enjoy, and so if people aren't willing to pay for the BBC, then the only reason can be that they do not enjoy it enough to pay what is being asked, which would be an indication that the service provider either needs to increase what's on offer to tempt people in, or drop their price to a level that more people find reasonable.

Also not buying the "cultural significance" angle. It's entertainment, not a public service, and whilst yes you could I suppose make a tentative link to museums, it's again not the same because of the amount that's being asked. Do we pay £150 a year per household towards the cost of maintaining each museum? It seems unlikely.

Here's a compromise. Make a BBC museum! It can have a waxwork of Phil Mitchell in ice skates and a leotard, bending Doctor Who over a BBC news desk, repeatedly smashing his face into a layered sponge cake and threatening him with sexual violence because the TARDIS doesn't have a TV license... and The Doctor has dared to watch The Great British Bake Off.

We can all pay 50p a year towards its upkeep. Now there's value for you.