Bars around the BBC’s Oxford Circus headquarters in central London are bustling with activity at the moment, with going-away drinks organized by long-serving journalists leaving the corporation. It has been three years since the restructuring plans followed one another, and the number of employees has already been reduced by 1,800 people (bringing the total to 17,700, including 5,500 journalists). In the fall of 2023, even previously untouchable flagship programs have been hit, with cuts imposed on the major evening news, “Newsnight”, and the investigative program “Panorama”, the equivalent of our “Special Envoy “.
On March 26, Tim Davie, the managing director of the British public media (television, radio and website), recalled in a major speech the financial crisis of his group. “The budget was cut by 30% in real terms between 2010 and 2020.”
During this decade, successive conservative governments imposed either a freeze on the fee or an increase below inflation, while eliminating specific envelopes devoted in particular to the World Service (international programs) and help for the elderly to pay the fee. A savings plan of 500 million pounds sterling (585 million euros) per year is underway, and Mr. Davie announces that 200 million pounds will have to be added to this.
“A short-sighted approach”
Normally, such a budget reduction would already have been painful. But it takes place while the world of television is undergoing a historic transformation, with competition from streaming platforms, such as Netflix, and social networks. In 2022, according to Ofcom, the UK’s telecoms regulator, Britons watched an average of four and a half hours of video per day, including just two hours of live television.
For those under 25, the time spent watching television has been divided by three in a decade, reaching around forty minutes per day in 2022. Among older people, the downward trend also began two years ago . “Taking money away from the BBC during this period was a particularly short-sighted approach”criticizes Mr. Davie.
In these circumstances, the Corporation is resisting. It remains, by far, the most read, listened to or watched media in the United Kingdom, with almost 90% of British adults using it every week. Around the world, 450 million people do the same (including its versions in 41 foreign languages), which makes it the leading English-speaking media brand in the world. “British audiences are spending more time watching the BBC and iPlayer [sa plate-forme de vidéo à la demande] than all streaming platforms combined »underlines Mr. Davie.
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