EXCLUSIVE: The BBC has announced it will cut its budget for original television programming by almost £100m ($123m) over the next 12 months as the funding freeze eases.
The British broadcaster gave the figure to Deadline after it was not included in its annual plan released on Thursday and revealed the extent of the upcoming cuts.
The BBC’s TV budget will fall by £96m from £1.84bn to £1.75bn next year. The majority of the TV budget is spent on original programming.
The company plans to allocate more resources to radio and online content, with the services benefiting from budget increases of £13m and £27m respectively.
Below is a full breakdown of the BBC’s content budget for the next 12 months. The table on the right is not included in the annual plan, but was shared with Deadline following a request for further elaboration.
The BBC announced earlier on Thursday that it was increasing its overall annual savings target by 40% to £400m. The broadcaster said it had to make difficult decisions as it cut 1,000 hours of broadcasts.
The austerity plan follows the BBC’s license fee freeze last year, which led to a real cut in corporate funding amid rampant inflation. The Compulsory Household Charge is the BBC’s main source of income, generating £3.7 billion in revenue.
“There will be more of these difficult decisions this year, but we will first take them with public value,” the BBC said.
The BBC finds it difficult to cancel programs and services, with decisions often opposed by viewers and creators. Just last week, after a loud public outcry, the BBC reversed a plan to close the BBC Singers choir.
Source: Deadline
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