The BBC will stop broadcasting CBBC and BBC Four as linear channels after the next few years as it aims to rebuild for the “digital age”, the corporation has said.
Announcing what it described as a “blueprint to build a digital-first public service media organisation”, the BBC also said it will cut 1,000 jobs over the next few years.
Director-general Tim Davie told staff in a speech this afternoon that the BBC must reform to stay relevant and continue to provide great value for all.
They said there were “plans to stop broadcasting smaller linear channels, such as CBBC and BBC Four and Radio 4 Extra, after the next few years”.
Mr Davie said: “This is our moment to build a digital-first BBC. Something genuinely new, a Reithian organisation for the digital age, a positive force for the UK and the world.”
Under the plans, the BBC News and BBC World News channels will merge to create a single 24-hour TV news channel serving both UK and international audiences.
The channel, which will be called BBC News, will “offer greater amounts of shared content” and offer the option of separating broadcasts depending on what is happening in the UK and around the world.