BBC World Service to axe 130 jobs in bid to save £6m

The BBCs projected total deficit will increase to £492 million for the 2024/25 financial year

The BBC World Service has announced it will cut 130 jobs as part of a plan to save around £6m in the next financial year.

Planned cost-saving measures include closing posts in the UK and internationally as well as roles in BBC Monitoring, a division which reports and analyses news from media around the world.

The World Service was given a funding boost by the government as part of the autumn Budget, but financial pressures and the previous two-year freeze in the licence fee means the corporations projected total deficit will increase to £492 million for the 2024/25 financial year.

Despite the cuts, it said it will continue to provide journalistic coverage across its 42 language services.

Jonathan Munro, global director and deputy chief executive of BBC News, said: While the result of the latest grant-in-aid funding settlement means we are able to maintain all of our existing language services, we were clear it would not stave off difficult decisions in order to remain globally competitive and meet our savings requirements.

These changes will ensure we operate effectively with the resource we have, creating the most impact for audiences internationally.

The BBC added that the service is operating in a highly competitive global media environment which has international news providers investing billions in state-backed media that sees increased competition for staff, platforms and frequencies, and audiences.

The broadcaster said it will continue to counter disinformation, provide emergency services in times of crisis and report from all corners of the globe.

As part of the Budget in October, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) settlement for the next financial year provides an increase in funding to the BBC World Service, protecting existing foreign language service provision and its mission to deliver globally trusted media, in support of the UKs global presence and soft power.

The BBC World Service is predominantly funded by the UK licence fee and has received a grant of £104.4 million from the FCDO in previous years.

In October, ahead of the Budget, the BBC revealed a raft of cost-saving plans, including the axing of in-depth interview show HARDtalk and reducing more than 100 news roles at the broadcaster.

HARDtalk, which is broadcast from Monday to Thursday, is set to shut in March 2025 after nearly three decades on air.