Seriously... I don't want to offend annyone here, this is just the way I see the situation
The "old people" generation now are part of the "we deserve..." generation, that don't deserve as much as they get.
"We didn't know diesel was bad" - not come across anything else the Government has said that people believe / follow!
"We were mis-sold PPI" - I bet more than half of the people mis-sold PPI were fully understanding what it was.
HOWEVER:
TV is important for some old folk who don't get out and about very much. It's their link to the outside world.
But I also think the BBC should change it's funding significantly.
I don't agree TV stars should be making hundreds of thousands of pounds a year. If the BBC stops paying such high salaries (including to it's internal staff!) then you won't get the likes of Graham Norton on the BBC at all. However, the BBC could focus on making these house hold names they were known for. There's a wealth of talent that started on the BBC, and that's what they should continue to do. Pay less (but still way more than the average Nurse gets!) but concentrate on finding new talent.
If that new talent flies the nest and goes to another channel, people will know they're going where the money is.
Making significant savings like these could mean the TV Licence is reduced in funding and thus affordable for everyone.
The impending problem is more and more people not watching TV as it's broadcast and thus don't pay.
Broadcast TV is on the way out, so sooner or later, the BBC will change how it is funded anyway. The current administration just doesn't want it to happen under their watch - too much hassle I suspect.