Wednesday 24 Sep 2014
The ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ is to reshape ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Online by 2013 to deliver its public service mission in the digital age.
The reorganisation will mean the service licence budget for ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Online is reduced by a quarter. It will also require the closure of up to 360 posts.
The new plans, which set a much clearer digital agenda for the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳, are the first step in the delivery of the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s strategy, Putting Quality First.
The changes, which have been approved by the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Trust, will deliver:
Under one unified strategy, ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Online will be transformed into 10 distinctive products: News, Sport, Weather, CBeebies, C³ÉÈËÂÛ̳, Knowledge & Learning, Radio & Music, TV & iPlayer, Homepage and Search. Each of them will share common technical features such as consistent design, improved navigation, and the ability for licence fee payers to personalise and access them across a range of devices, from computers and mobiles to tablets and TVs.
To deliver the new ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Online, the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ will implement new ways of working around product management, including enhanced collaboration between teams from editorial, technical, design and audience research.
³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Director-General Mark Thompson said: "³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Online lies at the heart of the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s digital future. As in television and radio, licence fee payers look to the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ to inform, educate and entertain them online. As digital technologies advance, internet delivery of content becomes more important and more profound in our lives.
"³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Online is a huge success, but our vast portfolio of websites means we sometimes fall short of expectation. A refocusing on our editorial priorities, a commitment to the highest quality standards, and a more streamlined and collegiate way of working will help us transform ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Online for the future.
"I know that these changes will be painful for affected staff. But I firmly believe that they are right for the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ at this time."
The ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ is also announcing a reduction in scale and scope of the website and is spelling out areas of refocus, closures and reductions, along with clarity on areas ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Online will not cover at all.
Editorial focus of the new ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Online:
The ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ is announcing a set of closures and reductions as follows:
³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Online will not:
The ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Online service licence budget will be reduced by £34m from £137m today to £103m by 2013/14 (see note 1). As a result, there will be up to 360 proposed post closures which will be phased in over the next two years.
As announced by the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Trust in December last year, ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Online's three-year strategy and business plan will be reviewed annually by the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Trust. In addition, ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Online will engage with industry twice a year about its plans.
1. Financial: The 25% reduction (£34m) in the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Online service licence budget by 2013/14 is a part of the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s recently stated cost-cutting measures to deliver 20% savings as a result of the recent Licence Fee settlement, delivered early.
2. Management of ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Online: The Online Direction Group (ODG), which is chaired by the Director of Future Media & Technology Erik Huggers, is responsible for ensuring that ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Online meets the terms of its service licence. ODG is responsible for setting the editorial strategy for ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Online, with Roly Keating, Director of Archive Content, acting as editorial lead on behalf of the Group, while Andy Conroy, General Manager for ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Online, has operational management responsibility for the service. From 1 March, Ralph Rivera will assume the chairmanship of ODG following his appointment as Director of Future Media with a seat on the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s Executive Board. This follows a reorganisation of FM&T, announced last week, in the wake of Erik Huggers' departure at the end of February.
³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Press Office
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