BBC CEO Tim Davie delivered his final speech, urging industry figures to "develop a little bit of swagger" in championing the national broadcaster, stating that the BBC will need to be "brave" and "expend political capital" in upcoming government negotiations. This comes as the BBC prepares to negotiate future funding for at least the next decade. Davie, who will be leaving the BBC in three weeks, emphasized the need for the corporation to have more scale and avoid being caught up in a cycle of short-term deal making and long-term planning due to the financial situation it has been in over the past decade. He also addressed the disparity between 94% of people in the UK using its services and 80% paying the license fee, which is costing the BBC hundreds of millions of pounds per year. He called for the BBC iPlayer to host rival broadcasters and suggested that merging with the BBC would reduce unnecessary duplication.