News Broadcasting
BBC launches campaign to promote online news in US
MUMBAI: As the US heads for the polls, the BBC has decided to get more aggressive on the marketing and promotions front. The beeb is launching a marketing campaign for its international news site bbcnews.com with online advertising, starting Thursday 23 September in key media across the United States.
The campaign entitled World news, Global views promotes the BBC’s award-winning site to the country’s hard news seekers – the people who, as research shows, are hungry for an international perspective.
An official release informs that the creative for the campaign and online media planning/buying is handled by London-based specialists, Agency Republic.
The highly targeted campaign focuses on sites, which attract hard news seekers, including AOL, MSN, International Herald Tribune, Washington Post, Time Magazine, The Economist and The Far Eastern Economic Review.
For the first time the news agency site Reuters.com has allowed an external company to take over their homepage with a combination of flash animated ads and BBC-branded wallpaper, adds the release.
The BBC is using live news feeds from bbcnews.com in some of its creative executions, including an interactive overlay featuring a map of the world which allows the viewer to select BBC news headlines by region from within the advertising itself.
The bbcnews.com world editor Steve Herrmann said: “The US market is significant to us. A large part of our international audience is based in North America.
“We get a lot of interest and a significant volume of feedback and comment from people in the US, many of them responding to news events through our interactive area, Have Your Say. As the US election approaches, we expect more people to want access to the wider view we can provide.”
The campaign has been designed and the media plan executed by the London-based online specialists, Agency Republic. This is the third bbcnews.com campaign its team has produced for the BBC.
News Broadcasting
BBC to cut up to 2,000 jobs in biggest overhaul in 15 years
Cost pressures and leadership change drive major workforce reduction plan
LONDON: BBC has unveiled plans to cut up to 2,000 jobs, roughly 10 per cent of its global workforce, in what marks its biggest downsizing in 15 years.
The announcement was made during an all-staff meeting led by interim director-general Rhodri Talfan Davies, as the broadcaster moves to tackle mounting financial pressures and reshape its operations.
Between 1,800 and 2,000 roles are expected to be eliminated from a workforce of around 21,500. The cuts form part of a broader plan to save £500 million over the next two years, aimed at offsetting rising costs, stagnating licence fee income and weaker commercial revenues.
In a communication to staff, BBC interim director-general Rhodri Talfan Davies said, “I know this creates real uncertainty, but we wanted to be open about the challenge,” acknowledging the impact the move would have across the organisation.
The restructuring comes at a time of leadership transition. Former director-general Tim Davie stepped down earlier this month, with Matt Brittin, a former Google executive, set to take over the role on May 18, 2026.
While some cost-cutting measures are being implemented immediately, the majority of the structural changes are expected to roll out over the next few years, with full savings targeted by the 2027–2028 financial year.
The broadcaster had earlier signalled its intent to reduce its cost base by around 10 per cent over a three-year period, warning of “difficult choices” as it adapts to shifting economic realities and audience expectations.
With operating costs hovering around £6 billion annually, the BBC’s latest move underscores the scale of the financial challenge it faces, as it balances public service commitments with the need for long-term sustainability in an increasingly competitive media landscape.
