The BBC is to axe the lunchtime and overnight sports bulletins from its news channel and shed around 40 jobs within the sports division as part of its previously announced plans to save £500m over the next three years.
Faced with the continued loss of hundreds of thousands of Licence Fee payers each year, the broadcaster is having to bring spending in line with its reduced income.
Recent months have brought news of job cuts, the axing of popular shows such as The World Tonight and Money Box Live on radio and the scrapping of Blankety Blank, Live at the Apollo and the celebrity version of Mastermind on TV.
Ministers are currently reviewing multiple options to fund the BBC as part of the regular Charter Review.
Despite the ongoing decline in the number of households willing to pay the Licence Fee, the BBC continues to argue against requiring viewers to hold a valid TV Licence in order to access iPlayer.
Additionally, it’s opposing the introduction of any form of advertising on BBC-branded channels despite already owning one of the UK’s largest and most profitable portfolios of advert-funded channels through its UKTV subsidiary.
While the Licence Fee funded schedules are increasing padded out with cheaper reality, makeover and ‘celebs on holiday’ shows, UKTV brings audiences a growing number of first-run dramas such as the Bergerac reboot and The Marlow Murder Club.
Increasingly the BBC is then repeating these on its LF-funded channels at a later date.
Even though ministers have previously ruled out such an option, the BBC’s preferred approach to solving its funding crisis seems to be moving to a household levy payable even by those who don’t watch its content.