Up to 2,000 roles are set to go at the BBC as it looks to close a widening gap between costs and income.
The corporation says it must find an extra £500 million in savings over the next two years, on top of existing cost-cutting plans, from a total annual operating budget of £5 billion.
In a message to staff, Rhodri Talfan Davies said the organisation is under sustained financial pressure from high production costs, a constrained licence fee, and wider economic conditions.
Immediate measures include tighter controls on recruitment and travel, reduced use of management consultants, and cuts to spending on conferences, awards and events.
Divisions across the BBC are now working on plans for the 2027/28 financial year, including identifying duplication, stopping some activity, and prioritising content and services with the greatest audience impact.
Rhodri said: “We anticipate that the overall number of jobs will fall by 1,800–2,000… we wanted to be open about the challenge.”
Further detail on how individual divisions will be affected is expected by September, with the majority of savings scheduled to take effect from 2027 onwards.
The latest move follows a series of restructuring programmes across the BBC in recent years, as it continues to adapt to changing audience habits and financial pressures.