The BBC has faced a turbulent period.

12:23, Mon, Jun 15, 2026 Updated: 12:29, Mon, Jun 15, 2026

BBC sign on building exterior

BBC (Image: Getty)

The BBC has begun a major cost-cutting programme which could see 2,000 jobs lost across the corporation. Hundreds of BBC News staff are expected to find out within days whether their roles are at risk as the broadcaster looks to slash spending by hundreds of millions of pounds.

The news division is set to be the first area affected, with sources familiar with the plans saying an announcement could come as early as next week. Several radio programmes are also reportedly facing potential cuts. The move comes as the BBC grapples with growing financial pressures despite the annual television licence fee rising to £180. The corporation has reported both higher levels of licence fee evasion and an increasing number of households declaring they no longer watch live television. Licence fee evasion currently stands at 12.52 per cent, with around 3.6 million households saying they do not need a licence. The combined impact has left the BBC facing losses of more than £1billion, with the number of licences dropping from 26.2 million in 2017 to around 23.8 million in 2026.

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The broadcaster employs more than 20,000 people, with news teams making up roughly a quarter of the workforce.

Audiences are expected to notice the effects of the savings drive across television, radio and digital services, with the news division reportedly handed a bigger cost-cutting target than most other departments.

While many areas of the BBC have been asked to reduce spending by around 10 per cent, news operations have reportedly been instructed to find savings closer to 15 per cent.

Richard Burgess, the BBC's director of news and content, outlined the plans during a staff briefing attended by around 300 employees.

The corporation spent £324million on news and current affairs in the year to March 2025, with salaries accounting for a significant proportion of that budget.

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