Staff fears grow that BBC will shut its Three and Scotland channels next week
Summary
The BBC is planning to cut costs by closing or reducing TV services, including BBC Three and BBC Scotland channels, due to low viewership and high expenses. They are starting a process to reduce jobs and encourage staff to take voluntary redundancy, job-sharing, or move locations to save money.Key Facts
- The BBC wants to save £500 million and may cut up to 2,000 jobs.
- BBC Three and BBC Scotland channels have low live audiences and are expensive to run.
- BBC Three moved online-only in 2016 but returned to TV in 2022; now it may switch back online.
- BBC Three’s budget was cut from £90 million in 2023-24 to £66 million in 2024-25.
- BBC Scotland channel has low live viewership (12% of Scots) despite weekly BBC content reach of 54%.
- BBC Scotland channel costs £42 million a year and has received about £250 million in funding since 2019.
- The BBC is asking staff if they want to reduce hours, share jobs, or relocate to avoid forced redundancies.
- High-profile shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race UK on BBC Three have been cancelled due to money issues.
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