The BBC has announced that it’ll cut spending on the World Service by around £6m in the coming financial year.
It says the majority of the savings will be achieved by axing around 130 roles, while there will also be “changes to the commissioning mix on World Service English” and a “reshaping some of our World Service Language teams to enhance the focus on digital output.”
The BBC said the changes “will be in line” with its broader digital first strategy which aims to ensure services reflect changing audience behaviour.
Although the government provides some money for the BBC World Service, it is largely funded from the licence fee which is payable by any UK household which watches live or linear content from any provider or who uses BBC iPlayer.
BBC bosses say the savings outlined today are necessary because of a mix of inflation, past freezes to the licence fee and a need for ongoing digital and technological upkeep.
Jonathan Munro, Global Director and Deputy CEO, BBC News, says: “While the result of the latest grant-in-aid funding settlement means we are able to maintain all of our existing language services, we were clear it would not stave off difficult decisions in order to remain globally competitive and meet our savings requirements.
“These changes will ensure we operate effectively with the resource we have, creating the most impact for audiences internationally.”