BBC TO CUT UP TO 2,000 JOBS IN $677 MILLION COST-SAVING PLAN OVER TWO YEARS. (PHOTO).

BBC to cut up to 2,000 jobs in $677 million cost-saving plan over two years

  

The BBC said Wednesday it plans to cut up to 2,000 jobs over the next two years as part of a major cost-saving effort aimed at reducing its annual budget by about 10%, or £500 million ($677 million).

The planned layoffs, announced during a staff call, would mark the broadcaster’s largest workforce reduction in more than a decade. Interim Director-General Rhodri Talfan Davies told employees in a memo that the move was driven by financial pressures, including inflation, declining license fee income, weaker commercial revenues, and broader economic uncertainty.

The broadcaster has previously warned of “substantial financial pressures” and outlined plans to reduce spending by roughly 10% by 2029, with most of the cuts expected in the fiscal year beginning April 1, 2027.

The restructuring comes ahead of former Google executive Matt Brittin taking over as director-general next month, following leadership changes after the resignation of Tim Davie and the head of news, Deborah Turness. Their departures followed controversy over a documentary edit related to U.S. President Donald Trump’s Jan. 6, 2021, speech.

Trump is also pursuing a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC.

Funded primarily through a license fee currently set at £180 ($244), the broadcaster remains a central but increasingly debated institution in the U.K., with critics arguing the model is outdated in the streaming era. The center-left Labour government has pledged to ensure sustainable funding but has not ruled out replacing the fee.

Founded in 1922, the BBC now operates multiple television and radio networks in the U.K. and abroad, along with digital services including its iPlayer streaming platform.