The BBC is considering a significant outsourcing drive, potentially offshoring thousands of UK jobs to US tech giants, including digital product and finance functions, to cut costs. This plan, reportedly approved by the board but not yet announced internally, faces strong opposition from trade unions and internal concerns about job losses, control over platforms, and the 'across the UK' scheme.
BBC seeks urgent savings with overseas outsourcing drive
BBCTim DavieTrade unionsMediaPoliticsUKUnited StatesOutsourcingBusinessWorld
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TL;DR: Key points with love ❤️The BBC is considering a significant outsourcing drive, potentially offshoring thousands of UK jobs to US tech giants, including digital product and finance functions, to cut costs. This plan, reportedly approved by the board but not yet announced internally, faces strong opposition from trade unions and internal concerns about job losses, control over platforms, and the 'across the UK' scheme.
Trending- 1 2010: Licence fee lost a third of its value since this year.
- 2 2023: Half a million people cancelled their licence fee.
- 3 Spring (relative to article): Tim Davie hinted at plans in a keynote speech.
- 4 Present: BBC examining outsourcing drive; plans reportedly approved by the board but not announced internally; Bectu expresses anger.
- Potential job losses in the UK
- Rolling back of the 'across the UK' scheme
- Loss of BBC control over its platforms
- Lack of internal expertise for long-term savings/improvements
- Growing anger from trade unions
What: The BBC is exploring a major outsourcing initiative, including offshoring jobs to US tech companies, to achieve urgent savings. This could affect thousands of UK jobs, particularly in digital product and finance departments.
When: Plans are currently being considered. Advice from external consultants was given recently. Tim Davie hinted at plans in a recent keynote speech in the spring. Half a million people cancelled their licence fee in 2023.
Where: UK (Salford, Glasgow, Newcastle, Cardiff, London), United States (potential tech partners).
Why: To cut costs due to significant financial pressure, including a licence fee value decrease since 2010 and an audience shift towards YouTube and streamers.
How: By outsourcing functions like recommendation algorithms and other digital product and finance departments to external, potentially overseas, partners, including US tech giants.