The BBC’s Chief Operating Officer Leigh Tavaziva confirmed on Tuesday plans to cut costs at the news organization by at least $130 million through layoffs and a pivot to tech and digital initiatives like artificial intelligence.
Tavaziva’s memo came days after reports of outgoing director general Tim Davie’s plans to cut the company’s workforce in order to reinvest in digital resources, a project known as “Project Ada.” Tavaziva said the company’s challenges come as the world is changing quickly, and technology and disruption will continue to have a profound impact in the news sector.
Tavaziva’s memo came Tuesday as Davie, BBC News leader Deborah Turness and others have left the BBC in the wake of a mangled editing of a Donald Trump-focused 2024 documentary.
“There is a real opportunity for the BBC to carve out a highly successfully place for itself in this competitive landscape, but we know we need to continuously transform to take it,” she wrote to staff. “Our goal is to be a creative and tech leader in an AI-driven world and this project is one of the ways we are exploring how to achieve that.”
Tavaziva said such changes could help the BBC “achieve savings of at least [$130 million] through this work.”
“But efficiency is not just about reducing costs – it is about enabling us to reinvest in content and deliver the exceptional value for all audiences that will secure success for the BBC and set us apart in today’s world,” she added.
She said no changes will be made through the rest of the year as the organization works with its unions and speaks to its executives. She acknowledged staffers have faced intense pressure amid the company’s leadership exodus and threats by U.S. President Donald Trump to file a billion-dollar lawsuit.
“For now, thank you for focusing on the important work ahead as we head into the Christmas period,” Tavaziva wrote.
The company has already cut 2,000 jobs, or about 10% of its workforce, in the last five years under Davie’s leadership.
Deadline first reported the news.
