Under budgetary pressure by the British state, the BBC is cutting 1,000 jobs and accelerating its digital transformation, with a radical plan that would result in the merger of its national and international news channels and the transition of many others online.
Already subject to several savings schemes in recent years and the aging of its audience, the public audiovisual giant, an institution whose influence extends beyond British borders, has this year called for a freeze on its financial horizons by the Conservative government. Have seen black with judgment. Royalty for two years.
The new measures, announced by the institution in a press release on Thursday, aim to save 500 million pounds (586 million euros) per year, including 200 million, to fill most of the gaps dug by the decision.
The rest should be invested in digital “to build a BBC that puts digital first, something really new (…) a force for good for the UK and the world”, Chief Executive Tim Davey told staff. Talking requested.
In particular, plans have been made to create a BBC news channel for British and international audiences, which are currently separate, “while retaining the possibility of broadcasting different content according to events”.
The group will cease broadcasting its children’s channel CBBC (for 6-12 year olds) and its cultural channel BBC 4, whose content will therefore be switched online.
Some foreign language services will also be online only, while longwave radio broadcasts will be phased out after consultation with maritime services.
Overall, this would mean there are 1,000 fewer jobs out of the roughly 22,000 employees currently.
– “Question of Existence” –
The group aims to reach 75% of the audience through its iPlayer digital platform.
Investments will be made for content for this platform and BBC Sounds will be reserved for sound content, from which the least efficient content will be removed.
With the emergence of Netflix or Disney+, the turmoil in its viewers’ consumption habits and difficult ties with conservative power the venerable “Bib” is going through a difficult period, with a recent appointment to the ministry even more so. has increased. Culture by Nadine Doris, Openly Hostile to Public Broadcasting.
The latter collected fees for two years (159 pounds, 185 euros) in January and questioned the long-term existence of this unaffected method of financing, especially in times of historical inflation.
The conservative power accuses the BBC of covering up Brexit in a biased manner, with a predilection for leaving the EU.
He has generally criticized it more for being focused on the concerns of the urban elite rather than the working classes, attacks that have gained a favorable resonance on the part of conservative voters and tabloid slayers of “voicism” and for its dismissal. Hurry up. BBC.
The announcement of this transformation plan coincides with the launch of the public group Mission Review by Nadine Doris, a highly conservative author of critically acclaimed novels and one of Boris Johnson’s most loyal ministers during the scandals.
The work aims to make the BBC “more fair, more accessible and such that it better reflects a wide variety of opinions”. They would also lead to a legal liability for 25% of the workforce coming from the working classes and for most programs to be produced outside London by 2027.
On this occasion, the government confirmed that it intends to study the “feasibility” of eliminating the duty from 2028.
The group’s management said this week that it was open to all options, including a subscription-based model for entertainment or fiction programmes, with its chairman Richard Sharp insisting the BBC was facing “an existential question”.
Beyond the BBC, the government recently caused an uproar by announcing that it wanted to privatize state-owned but advertising-financed Channel 4. It reinvested its profits into creation with successful innovative programs or series, hence the concern of cultural circles about its fate.
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