24/01/2011

BBC's Online Budget To Be Cut By 25%

In an bid to reduce spending on online output, the BBC is to cut around 200 websites.

The move, cutting the budget by £34m over the next two years, will see the loss of up to 360 jobs.

Sites such as teen site Switch and community sites h2g2 and 606 will be first to close. Skills website RAW, creative teen service Blast and documentary website Video Nation will also be closed under the reorganisation.

The new cost-cutting plan will result in a 20% saving of the licence fee settlement.

The BBC said the changes will make the website more distinctive and reduce competition with commercial websites.

Fewer news blogs are planned while standalone forums, communities and message-boards will be reduced and replaced with integrated social tools.

There will also be a reduction in the overall amount of sports news, live sport and showbusiness news, but also more culture and arts coverage on the news website.

There will also be a replacement of the majority of programme websites with automated content and the automation of bespoke digital radio sites 1Xtra, 5 live sports extra, 6 Music and Radio 7.

Local sites will no longer publish non-news features content.

Ahead of schedule later this year, around 180 websites are expected to close. The overall changes will be made by February 2013-14.

(BMcN/GK)




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