Matt Brittin, the BBC’s newly appointed Director General and former Google executive, has unveiled sweeping plans to cut £80million from commissioning budgets across the corporation’s television, radio and news operations over the next two years.
In an email to staff on Wednesday, Mr Brittin confirmed between 1,800 and 2,000 jobs will be eliminated in the coming months.
“The scale of savings requires tough choices, careful work and won’t all be ready at once,” he told employees.
“All divisions will be making significant savings.”
The cuts form part of a wider drive to reduce BBC costs by £500million over three years, building on an existing £1.5billion savings target.
The news and nations divisions will shoulder a substantial share of the reductions, with around 550 roles set to go by the end of the financial year, delivering £160million in savings through staffing and operational cuts.
Corporate functions face similarly deep restructuring, with around 700 positions expected to close.
Mr Brittin acknowledged redundancies on this scale would inevitably include compulsory departures, although he said the corporation would work to minimise them.
Voluntary redundancy schemes have already opened across several divisions, with further windows beginning today.
The BBC will also conduct a comprehensive review of its broadcast television channels and radio network as audiences continue shifting towards digital platforms.
Programme cancellations are expected, with Mr Brittin outlining three principles to guide decisions: prioritising output that delivers the greatest audience value, focusing on impact, and ensuring content reaches audiences where they now consume it.
The broadcaster operates eight national television channels, and long‑running speculation has centred on potential mergers between services such as BBC Two and BBC Four.
Further details on programme closures and channel reviews are expected in the coming days.
The cost‑cutting drive comes amid increasingly difficult financial conditions for the public service broadcaster.
While 94 per cent of the UK population uses BBC services each month, fewer than 80 per cent pay the £180 annual licence fee — a gap that poses a structural challenge as the corporation enters negotiations with the Government over its next royal charter.
