BBC to cut 550 jobs in first round of cost cuts

The BBC will cut 550 jobs across its news, nations, TV and radio content operations as the broadcaster begins a broader plan to save £500 million over the next two years.

The first round of reductions is expected to deliver about £160 million in savings. BBC Director-General Matt Brittin has said the full plan will reduce headcount by roughly 1,800 to 2,000 jobs across the corporation.

“The scale of savings requires tough choices, careful work and won’t all be ready at once,” Brittin said in a statement to staff.

The BBC has about 21,500 full-time employees and receives most of its income from the license fee, though the number of TV licenses sold has declined in recent years.

The news division will account for about 200 of the job cuts, generating £25 million in savings, according to Jonathan Munro, interim CEO of BBC News.

The proposals include ending Radio 4’s “The World Tonight” after 56 years. Beginning in April 2027, the weeknight schedule will feature a domestic news bulletin at 10 p.m., followed by a simulcast of the BBC World Service program “Newshour.”

Munro called the decision to end “The World Tonight” difficult, while pointing to overlap between the program and “Newshour.”

“We make another programme called Newshour, from the same newsroom,” Munro said. “So we can make one programme for two audiences, which is obviously more efficient.”

Advertisement

Several other Radio 4 programs will also end over the next year, including “Midnight News,” “Money Box Live,” “AntiSocial,” “The Law Show” and “Crossing Continents.” On the BBC World Service, “The Inquiry,” “The Conversation” and “The Fifth Floor” will end.

BBC One will stop airing “Breakfast” on Sunday mornings beginning in September 2026, with the BBC News Channel filling the slot. The Saturday edition of Radio 5 Live’s “Weekend Breakfast” will be reduced to two hours.

The BBC also plans to reduce the number of permanent presenters on Radio 4’s “Today” from five to four in September 2026, with a single presenter on Saturdays. The change coincides with the previously announced departure of Amol Rajan.

Production teams behind “Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg” and “Newsnight” will be merged. The Friday edition of “Newsnight” will move to a 7 p.m. slot on BBC Two following an earlier format refresh.

Additional proposals include sharing more weekend TV production across the BBC News Channel and BBC One bulletins, reviewing chief news presenter roles, giving the News Channel a more international focus and running the BBC News website’s InDepth section with a smaller team.

The BBC also plans to review its broadcast TV and radio portfolio as audiences continue shifting online. By the end of the 2027-28 financial year, the broadcaster expects to reduce 100 to 150 hours of original TV programming across commissioning genres and cut about 350 to 400 hours of audio output.

Brittin has also told staff the BBC will reduce the number of senior leaders by 10%. Further savings are expected in corporate divisions, where about 700 roles are expected to close.

The cuts come ahead of the BBC’s next charter renewal, with the current charter set to expire in 2027.

The proposals have already faced criticism from media watchers, who say they could weaken the public service broadcaster’s position.