BBC to axe 2,000 staff as pressures mount – Daily Business

The BBC is trimming its costs (pic: DB Media Services)

The BBC has told staff that 2,000 jobs – just under one in ten of the workforce – will be cut as it seeks to compete with changes in the broadcast landscape.

Staff were informed of the redundancies on Wednesday ahead of the new director general Matt Brittin taking up his job next month.

It will be the biggest round of redundancies at the corporation in almost 15 years and comes amid nervousness about funding, in particular the future of the licence fee.

However, UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: “This Government believes in the BBC, and we think it is one of the two most important institutions in the country [along with the NHS].”

Interim director-general Rhodri Talfan Davies, who led the all-staff call, will remain in charge until former Google executive Mr Brittin takes over on 18 May.

Mr Talfan Davides told its 21,500 staff: “I know this is challenging news, and we’ll need to work closely together to build our plans.

“My commitment to you is that we’ll do everything possible to try to reduce the strain and uncertainty that change of this kind brings.”

Matt Brittin: takes over next month (pic: BBC)

In February, the BBC said it was likely to seek 10% savings across the corporation after revealing it would need to reduce spending by hundreds of millions of pounds in the next three years.

Already the BBC World Service has axed 130 jobs as it looks to save about £6 million for the next financial year.

But the big competition comes from streaming giants, mainly in the US, such as Netflix, Paramount and Disney+.

The BBC is looking to develop its own iPlayer streaming service, as well as expand its content on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram with short-form video to reach younger audiences. The BBC’s commercial subsidiary, BBC Studios, is building its development and production capabilities.

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has urged the BBC to engage workers and trade unions and reconsider its proposals.

Laura Davison, NUJ general secretary, said: “Plans for more brutal job cuts are wrong, damaging and will cause uncertainty and distress for workers at the BBC.”

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