New BBC director general Matt Brittin has outlined the first phase of his savings plan for the broadcaster, which includes cutting jobs, commissioning spend and already existing programs.
In a memo to staff on Wednesday, Brittin — a former Google executive who started in the post last month — announced that 550 roles would be eliminated across the News, Nations and Content divisions by the start of 2027-28 and the amount of money spent on commissioning programs and series would be reduced by by £80 million ($107 million). This is part of Brittin’s goal to shave £500 million ($670 million) of spending over the next three years.
In the Content division, Brittin has a target of saving a minimum of £100 million ($134 million) by the end of the 2027-28 fiscal year. This will include a review of the broadcaster’s already existing TV channels and radio programs, with a goal to reduce original programming by 100-150 hours.
In addition, BBC News is reducing its workforce by 200 roles and has a goal of reducing costs by at least £51 million ($67 million) by April 2027. BBC Nations will contribute a total of £33 million ($44 million) in savings by the end of 2027-28 and expects to cut around 250 jobs.
