Wednesday 24 Sep 2014
The Ö÷²¥´óÐã is to reshape Ö÷²¥´óÐã Online by 2013 to deliver its public service mission in the digital age.
The reorganisation will mean the service licence budget for Ö÷²¥´óÐã 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 Ö÷²¥´óÐã, are the first step in the delivery of the Ö÷²¥´óÐã's strategy, Putting Quality First.
The changes, which have been approved by the Ö÷²¥´óÐã Trust, will deliver:
Under one unified strategy, Ö÷²¥´óÐã Online will be transformed into 10 distinctive products: News, Sport, Weather, CBeebies, CÖ÷²¥´óÐã, Knowledge & Learning, Radio & Music, TV & iPlayer, Ö÷²¥´óÐãpage 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 Ö÷²¥´óÐã Online, the Ö÷²¥´óÐã will implement new ways of working around product management, including enhanced collaboration between teams from editorial, technical, design and audience research.
Ö÷²¥´óÐã Director-General Mark Thompson said: "Ö÷²¥´óÐã Online lies at the heart of the Ö÷²¥´óÐã's digital future. As in television and radio, licence fee payers look to the Ö÷²¥´óÐã to inform, educate and entertain them online. As digital technologies advance, internet delivery of content becomes more important and more profound in our lives.
"Ö÷²¥´óÐã 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 Ö÷²¥´óÐã 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 Ö÷²¥´óÐã at this time."
The Ö÷²¥´óÐã 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 Ö÷²¥´óÐã Online will not cover at all.
Editorial focus of the new Ö÷²¥´óÐã Online:
The Ö÷²¥´óÐã is announcing a set of closures and reductions as follows:
Ö÷²¥´óÐã Online will not:
The Ö÷²¥´óÐã 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 Ö÷²¥´óÐã Trust in December last year, Ö÷²¥´óÐã Online's three-year strategy and business plan will be reviewed annually by the Ö÷²¥´óÐã Trust. In addition, Ö÷²¥´óÐã Online will engage with industry twice a year about its plans.
1. Financial: The 25% reduction (£34m) in the Ö÷²¥´óÐã Online service licence budget by 2013/14 is a part of the Ö÷²¥´óÐã's recently stated cost-cutting measures to deliver 20% savings as a result of the recent Licence Fee settlement, delivered early.
2. Management of Ö÷²¥´óÐã Online: The Online Direction Group (ODG), which is chaired by the Director of Future Media & Technology Erik Huggers, is responsible for ensuring that Ö÷²¥´óÐã Online meets the terms of its service licence. ODG is responsible for setting the editorial strategy for Ö÷²¥´óÐã Online, with Roly Keating, Director of Archive Content, acting as editorial lead on behalf of the Group, while Andy Conroy, General Manager for Ö÷²¥´óÐã 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 Ö÷²¥´óÐã'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.
Ö÷²¥´óÐã Press Office
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