BBC plans to cut over 1,000 jobs

London

THE BBC said on Thursday that it was cutting more than 1,000 jobs, mostly in management, as part of a long-term drive to reduce costs that has been accelerated by changing viewing habits. More people are watching programmes online, leading to a sharper than expected decline in the numbers paying the BBC licence fee levied on all households with a television, the British broadcaster said.

The income from the fee, frozen by the government at £145.50 (S$306) a year, is now forecast to be £150 million less in 2016/17 than it was expected to be four years ago. As a result, the BBC has proposed merging divisions, cutting up to three layers of management in some areas and "simplifying" support services such as marketing, finance, human resources and IT.