Ashley Highfield, director of new media, has raised the issue of offering programming -- such as Radio 4's Today programme and episodes of Eastenders -- on a pay-per view basis.
The plans, which the BBC says are purely hypothetical at this stage, come amid the rising cost of streaming content over the internet.
Highfield believes the cost of streaming BBC TV programmes could run to billions of pounds, once access to high-speed services becomes more widespread.
The main audience for this content would be overseas users, who may not pay the licence fee, but Highfield has also suggested that UK users might also be charged for accessing certain content.
"The licence fee could give viewers a certain amount of credit to use a certain amount of content and, once that credit has run out, they would have to top it up," Highfield said in an interview with the Financial Times.