Digital services escape BBC cuts
By Julian Clover
October 18, 2007 11.01 UK
The BBC is to continue offering a breadth of content across its various digital platforms as the BBC Trust approved a series of measures designed to counter the £2 billion shortfall in funding left by the licence fee settlement.
2,500 jobs will go and the iconic Television Centre in West London is to be sold. The majority of positions to be lost are in News and Factual programmes, though job creation in areas including new media mean that the net number of job losses will actually be in the region of 1,800.
The BBC has resisted calls to close the developing digital services including BBC Three and BBC Four, though it is likely that these channels may see more repeats, as new production is reduced by 10%. Arguably the growth of on demand services, including the BBC’s own iPlayer, means that these changes will be less evident than they may have been in the past. Efficiency savings of 3% will also be made.
The National Union of Journalists and the broadcasting workers union Bectu have both warned of industrial action, but both unions have promised to work with the corporation to work towards savings.
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