‘It’s mutiny’: Inside the ‘brutal’ BBC Sport cuts – with radio and TV next

Cuts to BBC Sport are just the “starter course for a bloodbath”, insiders warned, with TV channels and radio services set to close under a brutal savings drive that will mean the loss of thousands of jobs. Staffers at the BBC’s Salford base were said to be in tears at the news earlier this week that 41 roles will be cut and sports bulletins axed on the News Channel in a bid to save £2.6m. The cuts have prompted threats of strike action amid reports of a “mutiny” against Sports boss Alex Kay-Jelski. It comes amid a controversial shift to a digital-first strategy and a rolling series of cuts announcements in other departments, The i Paper understands. Shorts Regional shake-up and BBC Wales cuts The £30m BBC Three youth channel could be closed while a new local radio shake-up will see 90 jobs go and six regional shows axed and replaced by live sport, saving £9m, The i Paper can reveal. BBC Wales will lose 45 roles, reflecting “changing audience habits” and the “need to ensure BBC Wales remains sustainable”. There are also fears about the future of the BBC Scotland channel, which has cost more than £200m and struggled to attract viewers since its 2019 launch. The BBC has said up to 2,000 jobs will be lost – around 10 per cent of its workforce – as it seeks to make £500m in savings amid a funding crisis. Jobs ‘bloodbath’ One staffer said: “It’s a bloodbath. We’re told to expect hundreds of jobs going over the next week across every department. Sport is just the starter.” BBC Three has been forced cut RuPaul’s Drag Race UK in savings drive (BBC/Guy Levy) Employees are already threatening strike action over a pay dispute. Some are now accusing the BBC of targeting younger viewers, with social media impressions and clicks the dominant metric of success at the expense of older, loyal licence-fee payers. One figure who attended an all-staff meeting in Salford called by Kay-Jelski to explain the cuts said the presentation focused on “challenging YouTube and TikTok for the 16-25s”. Another summed up the mutinous mood, saying morale was at an “all-time low”. Bosses presented the news like a “victory lap rather than a job cuts announcement”, they claimed. Sports events dropped Editors, journalists and video producers are among those at risk under the Sports cuts, which will see a net loss of 36 jobs. BBC Sport has already dropped events including the Boat Race, Rugby League World Cup and the Commonwealth Games as well as long-running series including Ski Sunday. “It’s an obsession with social media impact and the under-35s at the expense of sport and sports journalism,” said another staffer. “At the [men’s football] World Cup, the bosses were most excited about Wayne Rooney rowing down the Hudson River in a video stunt. Now he’s got a new celebrity quiz podcast (Can You Beat Wayne Rooney?). The priorities are wrong.” However, others within the BBC believe viewers will not notice the end of brief overnight sports bulletins on the News channel. The Sport department is shifting its limited resources to reach audiences who no longer watch programmes like the axed Football Focus on broadcast channels. Inverdale: ‘You can’t live in yesteryear’ Director-General Matt Brittin, who promised that 10 per cent of “senior leaders” would also face the axe in the cuts, is said to be unsentimental about driving BBC investment into areas of growth. John Inverdale, the voice of BBC sport for 30 years across radio and TV, told The i Paper: “This is really tough for the individuals who are losing their jobs, but when you have to save £2.6m, something has to give. “Every department is making their share of cuts. People get their sports news online first, they aren’t waiting for TV bulletins.” The presenter, who is now consultant on Track, a commercial sports and music station, added: “You can’t live in yesteryear. They have to think about the BBC of today, and more importantly, tomorrow.” But bosses were accused of staggering the cuts announcements to influence discussions with ministers over a new Charter and a replacement funding mechanism for the licence fee. On Thursday, a further 45 post closures were announced at BBC Wales with jobs going in its news operation, budget cuts to Radio Wales and the end of public tours of BBC Central Square in Cardiff. ‘Drip-feeding cuts’ “They are drip-feeding the cuts to maximise the pain,” claimed one staffer. “People are being thrown under the bus to show the Government how desperate the financial position is during the Charter and licence fee negotiations.” The BBC isn’t bluffing, sources insist. Cash reserves at its public service arm slumped by 66 per cent in the last financial year to just £125m, as the corporation battles the impact of cost inflation and an accelerating rate of licence fee cancellations. Bosses have examined plans to close BBC Four and move content from the largely archive arts and history channel to BBC Two or axe BBC Three as a standalone broadcast channel, The i Paper understands. The BBC is investing in a new Wayne Rooney podcast while sports staff face losing their jobs (Photo: Gerry/The FA) Money saved from running BBC Three, which has already dropped RuPaul’s Drag Race UK for cost reasons, could be used to produce more youth-focused content for YouTube, which the BBC said is a major priority. The CBeebies and CBBC channels could be brought together to create a single proposition for children, with some BBC Three content running on CBBC in the evenings. Changes to local radio will see more programming shared across regions, whilst 5 Live will broadcast a new late night speech show across all local stations. Local breakfast shows, news bulletins and football commentaries will remain with the BBC seeking cuts outside of peak listening hours. The BBC has also boosted investment in its digital online news alongside its radio cuts. ‘Doom spiral’ warning But one veteran radio figure said: “The local radio audience is older and the more they cut, the fewer people tune in. But people want to know what is happening in their area. “The cuts are destroying what is unique about the BBC – its public service mission.” The National Union of Journalists warned that the BBC risks becoming trapped in an avoidable “doom spiral”, harming both workers and UK audiences, if the nation’s broadcaster continues its regime of “brutal” cuts. Industrial action looms after unions, including the NUJ and Bectu, rejected a BBC pay rise offer of 1.5 to 2.1 per cent, following complaints that it was below UK inflation of 2.8 per cent. The BBC said it would not comment on speculation. But a corporation source said: “We were clear that further savings across all divisions would be set out in the coming months, with every department contributing, and this would include a review of our broadcast TV channels and our radio network portfolio.” The Sport changes were “about reducing duplication and simplifying operations so we can put more of our effort into the coverage that matters most to audiences and continue delivering distinctive, high-quality sport across every platform”. The source added: “The strategy isn’t broadcast versus digital, or one audience group versus another – it’s about reaching as much of the audience as possible, across both.” Amid the fury over cuts, the BBC announced on Thursday that the much-loved children’s show Play School will be revived for a “new generation”. Independent producers are invited to pitch for a £2.5m contract to make the series, which first ran from 1964 to 1988. The new version will include “companion content for the new CBeebies Parenting YouTube channel, providing practical play ideas, expert guidance and resources for parents and carers”.