The BBC is reportedly considering proposals to offshore jobs.
Thousands of jobs could be placed at risk, with the organisation said to be in talks with US tech giants in what The Guardian called a “major outsourcing drive.” The plans would include the outsourcing of recommendation algorithms, according to the report.
The BBC’s Salford, Glasgow, Newcastle and Cardiff hubs could be impacted, with departments such as finance and functions within the corporation’s digital product group such as News Online, Sport, iPlayer and Sounds, under consideration. Previously, the BBC has been lauded for its moves to expand across the nations and regions, providing jobs throughout the country.
The proposals were shaped following advice from external consultants as the BBC faces significant financial pressures. According to the report, half a million people cancelled their TV licences in 2023, and the fee itself has lost a third of its value since 2010, driven in part by younger audiences moving towards alternative content solutions.
Concerns within the BBC are said to be “significant”, around both the impact on UK jobs and the effect outsourcing might have on the BBC’s control over its own platforms. Insiders are also worried the organisation will be tied into fixed contracts at a time of rapid evolution across the media landscape. Some have suggested such short term cuts will leave it without the expertise to make longer-term savings and build its own improvements to platforms such as the iPlayer, said the report.
In a keynote speech in spring, director general, Tim Davie, stated he was considering “new, major partnerships with the world-leading big-tech companies, the hyper scalers.” He added: “We are already working on the media supply chain, the processes behind the scenes that gets content from the camera to screen, from microphone to headphone. This will open up huge creative possibilities. And it will allow us to drive efficiencies and reinvest into world-class content.”
Although it did not deny the plans, the BBC said no decisions had yet been taken. A spokesperson for the corporation told The Guardian: “While we wouldn’t comment on any speculation, we have made clear our ambition to innovate and transform, to be able to invest in the content and services audiences love.
“To do this, we must accelerate our transformation and take advantage of opportunities in technology or with partners to strengthen our capabilities. Like many organisations, it’s routine to assess different options that could deliver these changes and it would be wrong to suggest decisions have been taken.”
Philippa Childs, head of Bectu, commented, “The suggestion that large functions of the BBC should be outsourced and potentially offshored runs counter to the public interest and is hugely damaging to the unique role the BBC plays in UK PLC. We are extremely angry that the BBC has been developing these proposals without any discussion with the trade unions and that Bectu has only become aware of the project due to a leak. It is essential that the BBC makes clear that it is committed to supporting UK jobs. Bectu has consistently argued for fair funding for the BBC, and will continue to do so, but this news plays into the hands of those who want to undermine the BBC and see it shorn of its public service responsibilities.”
