BBC to cut 1,000 hours of new TV programming in 2023 to save money

The BBC is to broadcast 1,000 less hours of caller TV programmes this twelvemonth arsenic portion of a thrust to prevention money.

The broadcaster made astir 12,500 "originated hours" successful 2022.

Half of the 1,000-hour chopped volition travel from sport, with less large events successful 2023. Elsewhere, BBC Four is showing much worldly from the archives.

It said the existent frost of the terms of a TV licence "continues to spot important fiscal challenges connected the BBC astatine a clip of precocious ostentation and media super-inflation".

Initiatives to prevention wealth see "an yearly simplification of 1,000 hours successful contented commissions crossed our portfolio".

This year, 50% of that simplification volition travel from "fluctuations" successful the sporting calendar, with nary Commonwealth Games oregon men's shot World Cup, arsenic determination was successful 2022. There is simply a women's World Cup this summer, but UK broadcast details person not been confirmed.

The different 500 hours volition travel from antithetic areas including BBC Four, which the corp announced a twelvemonth agone would go "the location of some the BBC's affluent archive and arts & euphony performances".

In this year's plan, the BBC said its strategy would see focusing connected "more unique, high-impact content". The 1,000-hour fig does not see news.

The corp said it was presently "spending much on, and commissioning much hours of, UK-originated TV contented than immoderate different organisation".

Other cost-cutting measures see moving a fig of World Service TV and vigor broadcast services online, and merging the home and planetary quality channels.

The corp has precocious travel nether occurrence for plans to adjacent the BBC Singers choir and chopped unit from its orchestras, arsenic good arsenic for section vigor stations successful England to merge much shows.

The yearly program said the broadcaster's archetypal precedence would beryllium impartiality, with a pledge to "launch an autarkic reappraisal of our societal media guidance".

The BBC has besides precocious been caught up successful rows astir president Richard Sharp's links to erstwhile premier curate Boris Johnson, and Match of the Day big Gary Lineker's Twitter disapproval of the government's asylum policy.