Campaign groups urged over-75s who qualify for the means-tested concession but have yet to claim it, to immediately contact the BBC.
The BBC said it encouraged anyone entitled to a free licence to claim one, despite the impact it would have on the broadcaster, which is already shedding jobs in a drive to make £200m of savings.
The BBC said it paid for 765,000 free licences under the scheme, in 2024.
However, analysis by data company Policy In Practice found there is a large pool of pensioners still missing out on a free licence.
In addition, there are around 50,000 people over 75 who are already claiming pension credit and could be claiming the free TV licences but aren’t, the body said.
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Read MoreDeven Ghelani, director of Policy in Practice, said: “There are almost half a million people over 75 missing out on the free TV licence, most of them because they aren’t claiming pension credit when they could.”
Dennis Reed, director of Silver Voices, the campaign group for pensioners, said the BBC should do more to ensure the over-75s get licences they are entitled to.
Reed added: “The BBC should be doing its public duty in making sure everyone entitled to a free licence gets one. But there is no sign of it happening under current leadership.”
TV Licensing said it “routinely promotes the concessions and support available in the letters we send to customers, directly during calls to our customer service line, and as part of our communications campaigns and social media output”.
A TV Licensing spokesperson, speaking on behalf of the BBC, said: “Anyone aged 75 and over who receives pension credit can apply for a free TV licence and we would urge anyone who has not yet applied to do so.”
The BBC budgeted a cost of up to £250m a year for subsidised licence fees, in 2020. The take-up shortfall means the figure is currently less than £150m.
If a large number of people began claiming free licences, it would take another chunk out of the BBC’s annual income at a time when drama productions are being paused due to funding difficulties.
The value of the licence fee has dropped by one third over the past decade and BBC News is closing 130 roles after the corporation said it needed to make further cuts of £200m.
Former director-general Greg Dyke said the current flat-rate charge should be more progressive, with wealthier households paying more.
Tim Davie, the current director-general, said of a more progressive charge: “That doesn’t necessarily imply means testing, there could be a number of ways you could make it progressive. I just think the idea we’re just sitting where we’re at is the wrong one.”
Other proposals mooted include charging streaming subscribers an additional “digital tax”, even if they don’t watch BBC programming and introducing a subscription charge to access some additional BBC services.
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