The BBC will broadcast 1.000 fewer hours of new TV programmes this year as part of a drive to save money. According to the company, half of the 1.000-hour cut will come from sports, with fewer major events in 2023. Elsewhere, BBC Four is showing more material from the archives.
The broadcaster, which made about 12.500 "originated hours" in 2022, must find £400 million in annual savings by 2027/28, according to the corporation's latest annual plan, which was published on Thursday. It said the current freeze of the price of a TV licence "continues to place significant financial challenges on the BBC at a time of high inflation and media super-inflation."
This year, 50% of that reduction will come from "fluctuations" in the sporting calendar, with no Commonwealth Games or men's football World Cup, as there was in 2022. There is a women's World Cup this summer, but UK broadcast details have not been confirmed. The other 500 hours will come from different areas including BBC Four, which the corporation announced a year ago would become "the home of both the BBC's rich archive and arts & music performances."
The corporation said it was currently "spending more on, and commissioning more hours of, UK-originated TV content than any other organization." In this year's plan, the BBC’s strategy would include focusing on "more unique, high-impact content." The 1.000-hour figure does not include news.
Other cost-cutting measures include moving a number of World Service TV and radio broadcast services online, and merging the domestic and global news channels. The corporation has recently come under fire for plans to close the BBC Singers choir and cut staff from its orchestras, as well as for local radio stations in England to merge more shows.
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