BBC Announces 1,000 Job Cuts To Save £50m

The BBC is to cut 1,000 jobs because of a £150m shortfall in licence fee income, its director general Tony Hall has confirmed.

Mr Hall briefed staff at the corporation's central London offices - telling them they were adjusting to a reduction in the number of people watching live television, meaning fewer viewers paying the annual charge.

Three layers of management are expected to be cut, while some of the BBC's divisions will be reduced, it is understood.

Most of the jobs will go from the BBC's professional and support services, as part of efforts to cut back on duplication of roles.

The current wave of cuts is expected to save around £50m, but the BBC has suggested there could be further job losses to come.

Mr Hall told staff: "A simpler, leaner, BBC is the right thing to do and it can also help us meet the financial challenges we face.

"We've already significantly cut the costs of running the BBC, but in times of very tough choices we need to focus on what really matters - delivering outstanding programmes and content for all our audiences."

The announcement comes on the back of measures aimed at making £1.5bn of savings a year by 2017 by reducing the amount of money spent on administration, property costs and sports rights.

Around 400 jobs had also already been targeted as part of the Delivering Quality First cost-cutting drive.

The corporation said in a statement: "Despite the progress already made, and the realities of the licence fee being frozen for seven years, a new financial challenge means additional savings must now be found.

"The licence fee income in 2016/17 is now forecast to be £150m less than it was expected to be in 2011.

"This is because as more people use iPlayer, mobiles and online catch-up, the number of households owning televisions is falling.

"It also provides further evidence of the need for the licence fee to be modernised to cover digital services."

Gerry Morrissey from the broadcasting workers' union Bectu said: "We support the idea of standardisation and simplification, but we will have to study the details of the announcement.

"We want to make sure that anyone affected by this is genuinely redeployed."