The BBC will lay off 2,000 workers, 9.3% of its workforce
The public corporation is going through one of the worst financial crises of the last fifteen years
BarcelonaThe BBC is going through one of its worst economic moments in its history. This February, the British audiovisual corporation announced a cost-cutting plan of more than 600 million pounds, which will translate, mainly, into job losses and the cancellation of some of its programs. Tim Davie, who was still director-general, warned that the company had to cut 10% of its cost base over the next three years if it wanted to ensure stability, and this has translated into this announcement of 2,000 layoffs, almost 10% of the 21,500 it has in total.
Davie made his resignation public last November, after having faced accusations of bias in news coverage regarding Trump or Gaza, among others. Following in his footsteps, Deborah Turness, head of BBC News, also resigned, but her departure did not become effective until April 2nd. As for the next director-general, the BBC will place its future in the hands of Matt Brittin, who has been president of Google in Europe, the Middle East and Africa since 2014. On May 18th, Brittin will assume the position with the intention of redefining the company's funding model and safeguarding the future of the United Kingdom's most important public service, and has secured his entry with the already approved resizing operation.
The media's financial crisis is due to several causes, as interim director-general Rhodri Talfan Davies explains: "The gap between our costs and our revenues is growing. This is driven by several factors: production inflation remains very high; our license fee and our commercial revenues are under pressure, and the global economy remains turbulent." For his part, Brittin shows enthusiasm and determination to face the challenge: "This is a moment of real risk, but also of real opportunity. The BBC needs the pace and energy to be where the stories are and where the audiences are. To leverage today's reach, trust, and creative strengths, to face challenges with courage, and to thrive as a future-ready public service."