The BBC has placed 84 product managers in its digital product group at risk of redundancy as it moves to a new Silicon Valley-inspired operating model for services including BBC iPlayer.
The roles – which sit between editorial and engineering teams and have been central to planning workloads, prioritising projects and getting new features into users’ hands – are being targeted as the corporation shifts to more autonomous, goal-based teams modelled on the Silicon Valley Product Group approach.
According to staff comments shared on LinkedIn, the new structure removes the traditional product manager layer, leaving all 84 product specialists “from the top management down” at risk, with affected teams now going through consultation.
The move comes against the backdrop of a wider plan to reduce the BBC’s headcount by 500 roles by March 2026, as set out in the corporation’s 2023/24 annual report and linked to its digital-first strategy and £200 million savings target.
A BBC spokesperson said the restructuring is necessary to strengthen its digital offer and position the organisation for an internet-led future media market.
