Director-general Matt Brittin has acknowledged that plans to find another £500 million ($662 million) in savings could lead to television and radio services being closed.
Brittin said the target “may well mean” shutting services as traditional broadcast operations are weighed against the growing number of viewers using online platforms.
“I wouldn’t guarantee any program or any channel will exist forever,” Brittin said in an interview with Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that will air over the weekend. “The tight financial situation means that we’re having to look at some of those decisions a bit sooner than we might like.”
The comments come as TV and radio network closures are expected to be announced as early as next week. Three has been the subject of speculation, but no decision about the channel has been confirmed.
Broadcast audiences versus iPlayer viewing
Brittin, a former Google executive, framed the potential closures as part of a wider question about when programming should move entirely from scheduled broadcasting to on-demand distribution.
He offered an example in which a channel or service could have 100,000 people watching through its broadcast outlet while 500,000 access the same programs through iPlayer.
“When’s the right time to migrate that service fully to being on demand?” Brittin asked. “And part of my job is to safeguard value for money for the licence fee payer.”
The director-general also argued that the broadcaster must change how it reaches the public as viewing and listening habits move beyond established delivery models.
Brittin said the broadcaster has to go “in different ways to reach audiences,” while it remains “locked into yesterday’s model of how people consume content.” He added that “the audience is always already living in tomorrow’s world.”
His remarks point to the central issue now facing the broadcaster: deciding how long to maintain individual broadcast services when substantially larger audiences may already be finding their programs online.
Savings plan puts jobs at risk
The new £500 million savings target expands on a previous goal worth £1.5 billion. Up to 2,000 jobs are at risk under the strategy.
The broadcaster is seeking to address a gap between the scale of its audience and the proportion of people paying for its services. While 94% of the UK population uses its services each month, fewer than 80% pay the annual £180 licence fee.
The financial push is unfolding alongside difficult negotiations with unions over employee pay increases. Unions have rejected two offers, raising the prospect of industrial action.
What Happens Next?
Brittin’s full interview is due to air over the weekend, while an announcement about expected TV and radio closures could come as early as next week.
For now, the identities of any services facing closure have not been confirmed. Brittin’s comments make clear, however, that neither individual programs nor channels are being given permanent protection as the broadcaster considers where its audiences are watching and how it can meet its savings commitments.