BBC to axe sports bulletins as staff consider strike action after corporation’s cost-cutting drive

The corporation told sports staff their jobs are at risk, with seven journalists’ positions being cut, including four senior roles.

The move is part of a cost-cutting drive, with it understood employees will have to reapply for their jobs.

A meeting has been scheduled for later this afternoon at BBC Sport’s headquarters at MediaCity in Salford.

Staff will be told the BBC’s plans for the future and what direction they plan on taking the corporation.

BBC Sports employees are thought to be considering strike action, with those affected being given the option of voluntary redundancy, according to the Daily Mail.

The corporation’s director of sport, Alex Kay-Jelski, oversaw dozens of redundancies last year.

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Kay-Jelski’s reshaping of BBC Sport has already claimed several beloved programmes.

Football Focus, a Saturday lunchtime staple for more than half a century, was scrapped at the conclusion of last season after 52 years on air.

The winter sports show, Ski Sunday, was also discontinued.

Beyond individual programmes, the corporation has stopped covering several major sporting events.

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The Commonwealth Games, the Boat Race, and the Rugby League World Cup have all been removed from the BBC’s schedule.

The corporation is currently pursuing cuts of up to 2,000 roles to deliver £500million in savings.

The licence fee has shed roughly £1.3billion in real-terms value since 2017, driven by fee freezes and a growing number of people opting not to pay it.

Rising production costs, increasing competition, and shifting audience habits have forced the broadcaster into drastic changes.

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Independent media analyst Alex DeGroote suggested redundancy payments would further deplete cash in the short term before any cost savings materialised.

He warned the £197million dividend received from the BBC’s commercial arm last year was unlikely to be repeated at that level.

A £125million pension obligation posed an additional threat to remaining reserves, he said.

The corporation recorded a deficit of £121million for the past financial year, significantly overshooting its earlier forecast of £33million.

A BBC spokesman previously said: “Like many in the media industry, the BBC is facing considerable financial challenges, which is why we’re making significant cost savings across the organisation.

“The drawdown of cash reserves has enabled us to manage pressures on licence fee income while continuing to prioritise spending for audiences and invest in our digital transformation.”