Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone is proposing a new "TV Tax" on high-profile teams.

Ecclestone wants the cash generated from the scheme to be used to help struggling teams stay alive.

He says top teams like Ferrari and BMW Williams receive the most television coverage and that disadvantages smaller teams.

"I'm going to propose that a 'TV tax' be paid by the teams getting the most television play," Ecclestone told French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche.

"The sums would be handed back to the less competitive, underexposed teams.

"If we want to keep a high level of technology, we must find a means to keep the less competitive teams alive."

F1's ruling body, the International Automobile Federation (FIA), has been searching for ways to help cash-strapped teams stay alive.

An agreement was reached last month for a cash pool to be created which smaller teams could dip into.

But chiefs have not said exactly how this pool will be financed.

Ecclestone is keen to make F1 more democratic and competitive this season.

Last year, Ferrari ran away with the drivers and constructors championship while at the other end two teams, Arrows and Prost, went bankrupt.