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- Oil prices extend gains on Mideast tensions, Wall Street falls
- US judge orders Google to open Android to rival app stores
- On attacks anniversary, Israel fights 'sacred' multi-front war
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- UN biodiversity summit in Colombia aims to turn words into action
- Georgia Supreme Court reinstates six-week abortion ban
- 'Dark day': Victims mourned around the globe on Oct. 7 anniversary
- On attacks anniversary, Israel fights multi-front war
- Mexican mayor murdered days after taking office
- Intensifying to Category 5, Hurricane Milton targets Florida
- Mission to probe smashed asteroid launches despite hurricane
- Biden, Harris mark Oct. 7 with call for Mideast peace
- Dupont set for Toulouse return after post-Olympic holiday
- French rugby bosses tighten discipline after nightmare Argentina tour
- Oil prices extend gains on Mideast tensions, Wall Street slips
- Visitors to get rare view of Rome's Trevi Fountain
- Europe's asteroid mission Hera launches despite hurricane
- Man City and Premier League both claim victory in legal case
- Deschamps delight as 'light back on' for Pogba after doping ban
- Biden, Harris urge Mideast peace on Oct. 7 anniversary
- Neeskens, tough midfielder in Cruyff's Ajax and Dutch teams
- UN warns world's water cycle becoming ever more erratic
- Oil prices extend gains on Mideast tensions, Wall Street retreats
- Ex-Dutch football star Johan Neeskens dies
- Man Utd battling to improve fortunes, says Evans
- What is microRNA? Nobel-winning discovery explained
- Masood, Abdullah centuries lift Pakistan to 328-4 in first England Test
- Hurricane Milton strengthens fast, threatens Mexico, Florida
- Tunisia's President Saied set for landslide election win
- Barca hoping to return to Camp Nou 'by end of year'
- Trump to open second golf course at Scotland resort in summer 2025
- Super-sub Jhon Duran rewarded with new Aston Villa deal
- US duo win Nobel for gene regulation breakthrough
- Masood hits first ton for four years to power Pakistan to 233-1
- Fritz wins delayed match to reach Shanghai Masters third round
- Naomi Osaka pulls out of Japan Open with back injury
- Weather may delay launch of mission to study deflected asteroid
- China to flesh out economic stimulus plans after bumper rally
- Artist Marina Abramovic hopes first China show offers tech respite
- Asian markets track Wall St rally on US jobs data
- Pakistan 122-1 at lunch in first England Test
- Kazakhs approve plan for first nuclear power plant
- World marks anniversary of Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- 'Second family': tennis stars hunt winning formula with new coaches
- Philippines, South Korea agree to deepen maritime cooperation
- Mexico mayor murdered days after taking office
- Sardinia's sheep farmers battle bluetongue as climate warms
- Japan govt admits doctoring 'untidy' cabinet photo
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BBC to axe 500 more jobs in bid to be 'more agile'
The BBC is to axe 500 jobs over the next 20 months in a bid to save £200 million ($258 million) and become a "leaner, more agile organisation," the British public service broadcaster announced Tuesday.
The redundancies, to be achieved by closing and transferring some roles and creating others in "growth areas", are the latest layoffs as the BBC copes with squeezed funding and inflationary pressures.
The broadcaster, which relies heavily on an annual £169.50 licence fee paid by every UK household watching live channels on a television, is also grappling with wider changes in media consumption such as streaming and on-demand services.
It will shed the 500 jobs by March 2026, after already reducing its headcount by 10 percent in the last five years -- a reduction of almost 2,000 roles.
Detailing the changes in its annual report published Tuesday, the BBC said the move was part of "accelerating our digital-first approach to reach audiences where they are".
"Over the course of the next two years, we will look to further move the money we have into the priority areas that provide real value for audiences," it said.
In his review of the past year, director-general Tim Davie said years of below-inflation licence fee settlements had "chipped away" at its income and put "serious pressure on our finances".
Although inflation-linked rises have been reinstated, he noted the broadcaster had experienced a 30-percent real terms cut from 2010 to 2020 and "a tough couple of years of flat funding".
The BBC collected £80 million less in licence fee income in the last year, driven by a two percent decline in sales volumes and flat licence fee pricing.
The number of active licences dropped from 24.4 million in 2022-23 to 23.9 million by the end of last year, according to the annual report.
"We need to create a leaner, more agile organisation, and make the most of the digital-first opportunity to redesign our processes, cut costs and serve audiences better," Davie said.
"We also need to consider how best to fund the BBC in the long term to secure all the benefits of universal public service broadcasting in the future."
The BBC chief said that would also require discussions with the government about the "right way" to fund the BBC World Service at "a critical moment for democracy worldwide".
G.Stevens--AMWN