The BBC has warned that television and radio programmes are set to be axed as part of new cost-cutting measures affecting the broadcaster.
BBC director-general Matt Brittin announced on Wednesday (June 17) that 550 of the planned 1,800 to 2,000 job cuts at the corporation will be taken from BBC News and television and radio-related roles.
The 57-year-old said the broadcaster is planning to cut content spending by £80 million as part of its cost-saving measures. Mr Brittin noted they would ‘review our broadcast TV channels and radio network portfolio’ due to more audiences moving online.
Mr Brittin emphasised the importance of sustaining ‘output’ and ‘audience value and impact’. The BBC has not indicated which programmes would be axed under the plans.
Seeking to make £500 million in savings over two years, job cuts will also impact around 700 corporate roles. It was announced in April that job cuts at the BBC are set to take place over the next three years.
Mr Brittin told staff in an email that it is hoped cuts and savings in BBC News and further TV and radio areas will make £160 million in cost savings. He wrote: “The scale of savings requires tough choices, careful work and won’t all be ready at once.
“We are committed to letting you know as soon as we have plans in your area. All divisions will be making significant savings… We live in very uncertain times. Our audiences rely on us every day to keep them informed, entertained and equipped to make sense of the world.
“Making savings while fulfilling our mission means a doubly difficult time for everyone. Do speak to your leaders and use the support that’s available. In the meantime, thank-you for all you are doing.”
The email also revealed that the BBC would be reducing senior leaders by ‘at least’ 10% to make it 'simpler and faster’. Mr Brittin, who is a former Google executive, said further details on cuts and savings would be announced ‘in the months ahead’.
An all-staff call will take place on Tuesday (June 23) at 2pm where Mr Brittin will take questions. The director-general took up the role in May, replacing Tim Davie who announced his resignation in November 2025 after editorial coverage led to a $10 billion (£7.5 billion) lawsuit from US president Donald Trump over the editing of a Panorama documentary.
In response to the latest job cuts, head of media and entertainment union Bectu, Philippa Childs, admitted that it’s ‘far from ideal’ that the BBC’s charter renewal is taking place at the same time as the cuts.
She said: “I’m not sure how you can make informed decisions about the long-term future of the organisation when it will be in a substantially diminished place at the end of the process than the beginning.
“In an era of fake news and an industry that is becoming more concentrated in the hands of a few multinational corporations, the UK needs a confident, ambitious and sustainably-funded BBC more than ever. The charter renewal must put the BBC’s funding on a secure, long-term pathway or it risks death by a thousand cuts.”
Ms Childs continued: “Ten per cent cuts when real terms income from the licence fee is already down £1.3 billion in the last decade is significant and will affect the BBC’s ability to deliver its public service mission.
“It seems clear that cuts will have a direct impact on programming and output, and audiences will also notice the effects. Bectu is actively engaging with the BBC to mitigate the impact as much as possible, and we will support members facing redundancy as well as those who will see their workloads drastically change.”
