The BBC will close BBC Three, BBC Scotland, and BBC Radio 4 Extra linear broadcast services in spring 2027 as part of cost-cutting measures, it has been announced.<\/p>\n
In addition, around 100 jobs will be cut at BBC News, as the corporation faces pressure to make savings of \u00a3500 million by 2028.<\/p>\n
A number of roles will also be cut as a result of the broadcast closures, including 10 in Scotland.<\/p>\n
BBC Scotland will remain a channel on iPlayer, but it will no longer be a broadcast channel on television.<\/p>\n
Content will also be available on BBC One and BBC Two in Scotland.<\/p>\n
BBC Three content, which has a younger-skewing audience, will be available on BBC iPlayer and on other platforms, including YouTube.<\/p>\n
It is not the first time BBC Three has been cut from linear TV.<\/p>\n
It returned as a fully-fledged TV channel in January 2022, six years after it moved online.<\/p>\n
The channel has since been responsible for major hits including Fleabag, Normal People, and Killing Eve.<\/p>\n
Programmes from BBC Radio 4 Extra will still be available on BBC Sounds \u2013 and The Daily Service will be on BBC Sounds and local radio.<\/p>\n
In a note to staff setting out the changes, BBC Director-General Matt Brittin said: “We need to make every pound work harder for audiences as we respond to the immediate cost pressures and reinvent the BBC for a changing world. We all know that means tough choices.”<\/p>\n
He added: “Much of the great content they currently carry will still be found where audiences already enjoy them on iPlayer and Sounds. While this follows media speculation, I recognise the confirmation of this news will be hard for audiences and colleagues.”<\/p>\n
The new Director of BBC News, Rachel Jupp, will also lay out plans for further savings early next year, while other divisions will confirm savings plans in the coming months.<\/p>\n
This follows earlier savings announced in BBC Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Local, and Speech and Sounds.<\/p>\n
At the weekend, the BBC confirmed its long-running home renovation TV series DIY SOS will be “rested” next year amid the corporation’s ongoing “savings challenges”.<\/p>\n
The BBC also cancelled plans to build a new bespoke studio for The Archers at its Tea Factory in Digbeth, Birmingham, amid its cost-cutting measures.<\/p>\n
In a statement, Scottish Culture Secretary Mairi McAllan said: “The proposal to close the BBC Scotland channel is wholly unacceptable and the Scottish Government opposes it in the strongest possible terms.<\/p>\n
“This represents a significant blow to our media landscape and is the latest example of a long-standing pattern of BBC underinvestment in Scotland, raising serious questions about the broadcaster’s commitment to Scottish audiences and the creative sector, and its public service obligations to serve all parts of the UK fairly and equitably.<\/p>\n
“I have set this out directly with the BBC Scotland director and will engage with Ofcom (regulator) to make clear the significant concerns this proposal raises.”<\/p>\n
Source: Press Association<\/p>\n