
The British Broadcasting Corporation is preparing to cut thousands of jobs as part of a major plan to reduce its annual spending by 10 per cent, according to a report by the Financial Times. The BBC, which employs more than 20,000 people, is expected to elimin
ate around 2,000 positions.
Its news division, which accounts for nearly a quarter of the broadcaster’s workforce, is reportedly set to announce the first round of cuts.
BBC News manages television channels, websites, radio services and digital apps across different regions.
As it relies heavily on employees to produce its content, the division is expected to face a significant number of job losses.
The cuts may also affect certain radio programmes and could bring noticeable changes for BBC viewers and listeners, the report said, citing people familiar with the plans.
Other divisions, including content teams, may have more options to reduce spending in areas that do not involve staff cuts.
BBC Director-General Matt Brittin recently warned that the broadcaster would have to make “hard and unpopular choices” to secure its financial future.
The public broadcaster has already introduced several cost-cutting measures, including reducing spending on travel, recruitment, management consultants, conferences, award ceremonies and corporate events.
In April, the BBC announced plans to save £500 million, or around $677 million, over the next two years by cutting up to 2,000 jobs and reducing its annual budget by 10 per cent.
“I know this creates real uncertainty, but we wanted to be open about the challenge,” interim Director-General Rhodri Talfan Davies said in an email to employees.
Meta, Ikea, Starbucks and Cloudflare Announce Job Cuts
The BBC’s planned layoffs come amid widespread job cuts across several industries.
Meta recently announced plans to eliminate around 8,000 jobs, representing nearly 10 per cent of its workforce. The first layoff notifications were reportedly sent to employees at the company’s Singapore office.
Inter Ikea Group, the holding company that oversees Ikea, also announced plans to cut 850 jobs. The company said its organisation, which has around 27,700 employees, had become too complex.
Starbucks has also been reducing costs through layoffs and office closures. The coffee chain announced plans to cut 300 corporate jobs and close some offices in the United States.
Last year, it eliminated around 2,000 corporate positions and closed hundreds of stores across the US, Canada and Europe.
Cybersecurity company Cloudflare has reportedly planned to cut more than 1,100 jobs worldwide as it restructures its operations around artificial intelligence.
The company said the use of AI within its organisation had increased by more than 600 per cent in three months, leading it to change its workforce structure and working methods.