BBC: a savings plan imposes cuts in programmes and sports rights budgets

"The BBC has and is doing everything possible to make sure the impact on the public is minimised. Wherever possible we’re targeting savings by creating a simpler, leaner BBC. But cuts to budgets for programmes and services are unavoidable, (...) but the BBC’s financial position means there is no alternative," said Tony Hall, chief executive of the BBC, on 18/11/2015, concerning the details of the first savings (£150m, or about €214m) in a plan to reduce spending by £700m (€1b) by 2021-2022.

Tony Hall confirmed the "inevitable" closure or reduction of services, with about £550m (€786m) still to save. The details will be announced in spring 2016. The £700m plan is in response to the decline in revenues from license fees, estimated at £150m between 2011 and 2016-2017, due to, according to the BBC, the increased use of catch-up TV, of IPTV viewed on second-screen TV and mobile.

BBC said that it will "continue to press" the government on what it considers to be a "legal vacuum", with political authorities having undertaken to legislate in July 2016. The BBC achieved £4.8bn (€6.6bn at the…