BBC Brings Website Cuts Forward

The BBC has announced that plans to cut back its website operations, originally scheduled to commence in 2012, will now commence in 2010.

The Daily Telegraph reports that the millions of web pages currently produced and maintained by the corporation extend well beyond its core business. It is reported that entertainment, music and  celebrity content may be some of the first areas to be hit.

The BBC plans to publish the results of an overall strategic review ahead of the general election in a report which is likely to take a hard look at the corporation’s remit.  This review, along with a cost-reduction exercise already under way means that a smaller portfolio of channels and services, including web content, is likely.

Recent years have seen aggressive investment in the BBC’s digital presence, most notably in terms of the iPlayer and the extensive range of podcasts made available each week.  The fact that cuts are likely to kick in within months of the strategic review suggests that the corporation may well have over-extended itself.