The BBC announced a strong restructuring due to budget constraints, the abolition of a thousand jobs, and the acceleration of digital transformation, with the merger of channels and the transition of others to broadcast over the Internet.
After being subject to various savings schemes in recent years and aging its audience, the public audiovisual group, an institution whose influence extends beyond British borders, saw its financial horizons deteriorate this year, thanks to a Conservative government decision. Fee paid by the audience for two years to freeze with.
The news, announced this Thursday by the institution, in a statement, also aims to save 500 million pounds (586 million euros) a year, of which 200 million is to cover most of the deficit created by the government’s decision.
The rest must be invested in digital “to build a BBC that puts digital first, something truly new … a positive force for the UK and the world”, Director General Tim Davey said while instructing workers.
There are plans to create a single news series – BBC News – for British and international audiences, which are set apart this Thursday, to “protect the possibility of broadcasting different content according to events”.
The group will cease broadcasting its children’s channel CBBC, dedicated to the age group 6-12) and cultural BBC 4, which will be broadcast online.
Some foreign language services will also be broadcast online only and long wave radio broadcasts will be discontinued.
Altogether, these decisions mean that 1,000 jobs have been wiped out of the current 22,000 jobs.
With the emergence of Netflix or Disney+ changing the consumption habits of its viewers and difficult ties with the Conservative government, the ‘venerable’ BBC is going through a difficult period, now exacerbated with an appointment to the Ministry of Culture. By Nadine Doris, clearly hostile to public audiovisuals.
It decided, in January, to freeze the value of fees for audiovisuals from £159 (185 euros) for two years and questioned the extension of this unattended mode of financing, especially in times of historical inflation. .
The conservative power accuses the BBC of partially covering up Brexit with a bias in favor of leaving the European Union.
He also alleged, in general, the focus being on the concerns of the urban elite rather than the popular classes.
The announcement of the change plan coincides with the launch of a mission magazine of the public group by Nadine Dorries, a very conservative personality and one of the most loyal members of the government, during the series of scandals that recently broke out with Boris Johnson. One of the most loyal members of the government for
With that BBC Mission magazine, the Conservative government wanted to “make the BBC more fair, more accessible and more reflective of diversity of views”.
Another objective is the legal obligation of 25% of the workforce coming from the ‘lower classes’ and for most programs to be produced outside London by 2027, in addition to envisaging the end of the fee by 2028.
BBC chairman Richard Sharp said the company was faced with an “existence question”.
