BBC director general warns some TV channels and radio stations may close

The BBC's new Director General, Matt Brittin, has warned that some television channels and radio stations may have to close as the corporation deals with serious financial pressure. In an interview with the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg, he said the BBC currently has more than 20 TV channels and more than 50 radio stations. He said that is not sustainable.

Mr Brittin said audience behaviour has fundamentally changed, with more people watching and listening online and on demand. He refused to guarantee that any programme or channel would exist forever. The tight financial situation meant some decisions were being taken sooner than the BBC would like, he added.

The warning comes during an urgent cost-cutting programme. The BBC has already announced £500 million of savings and 2,000 job losses, with more announcements expected in the coming weeks. BBC Sport has announced job cuts in the same week. Recent cuts have included the end of programmes such as Blankety Blank and Live at the Apollo.

Mr Brittin set out the scale of the funding squeeze. He said licence fee funding for the BBC has fallen by £1.3 billion over the past 10 years, a drop of about 25%. Key figures include:

• Licence fee funding down by £1.3 billion, about 25%, over 10 years.
• Government freezes account for about 60% of the fall, with about 40% from fewer households paying.
• The BBC has more than 20 TV channels and more than 50 radio stations.
• The corporation spent more than £5 billion last year.

The corporation has used cash reserves and commercial income, including from its studios business, to plug some of the gap. Mr Brittin said that approach was no longer sustainable. The BBC is also negotiating with the government over its future and its charter, with a new charter expected in about 18 months. He said he hoped that would allow longer term decisions about funding.

On the licence fee, Mr Brittin said he had no preferred specific replacement. He wants reform that modernises the fee and allows the BBC to reach audiences where they are. He pointed to a household levy as one option that has been discussed in other countries and by government, but said that was not what he was advocating. He said 94% of households consume BBC content every month, while only 80% pay. He argued that if the BBC is for everyone, it needs to be funded by everyone, though he stressed the current model needs to change.

Mr Brittin also said BBC content should be available on platforms such as Netflix, YouTube, TikTok, Spotify and Instagram, particularly news, to help counter misinformation. He warned of a danger that six companies could control access to information and the creation of information and misinformation. None of those companies is European, let alone British, he said.

He said he was open to the idea of making some content with AI, but only with strong human guardrails, and said AI would not replace people anytime soon. The full interview is due to be broadcast on Sunday morning.