BBC slashes 100 jobs, pulls channels amid ‘immediate cost pressures’

The BBC has announced the closure of two channels and more than 100 job cuts as it seeks to save £500 million over the next two years, according to an internal note by director Rachel Jupp. The job cuts represent £5.5 million in savings and are part of 2,000 total job cuts across the organization to achieve its savings goal. BBC Scotland and BBC Three, a youth-oriented channel, will be available on iPlayer streaming platform instead, while Radio 4 Extra's programs will be accessible on BBC Sounds, an audio streaming platform.

BBC Director General Matt Brittin stated that the BBC needs to make every pound work harder for audiences as they respond to immediate cost pressures and reinvent the corporation for a changing world. Scottish culture minister Mairi McAllan criticized the move to move BBC Scotland online as "wholly unacceptable." The BBC announced plans to cut another 550 roles in its news, nations and content teams by the end of the financial year to deliver £160 million in savings.

This comes amid severe cost pressures after income from the licence fee fell by around a quarter in real terms since 2017. BBC News could be required to save more than anticipated as the BBC's financial pressures increase the savings requirement for News.