back to article BBC Online to be scaled back, budget cut by a quarter

The BBC’s online presence will shrink, after its governing body agreed with director-general Mark Thompson’s plans to cut the public service broadcaster’s online spending. In response to Thompson’s ‘Strategy Review’, published in March this year, the BBC Trust today announced its “initial conclusions” on the future of the Beeb …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    I'll help...

    ..get rid of all the web2 crap.

    The amount of crap that they do on MyTwitFace is absurd. Get rid of the lot.

    But then where will the newspapers get their content?

  2. Pete 2 Silver badge

    Take a leaf from the broadcaster's book

    and show more repeats. I'm sure the BBC website has hosted lots of pages that people would appreciate "a chance to see again" (They could start by putting the saddos page back up)

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    Tat & Murdoch

    Get rid of a lot of tat, leave http://news.bbc.co.uk alone.

    Seems like the Dirty Digger is alreay exacting influence having agreed to dump Labour...

  4. Just Thinking

    Thank god

    "We believe that every genre and area of activity should have its own rationale that clearly sets out the particular public value that the BBC adds above and beyond market provision."

    At least Hole in the Wall will be safe then.

    Seriously, the BBC takes a large, ringfenced pot of (effectively) taxpayers money. If they are making savings, are they also going to reduce the licence fee significantly? Or where is the saved money going to go?

    1. karl 15
      Megaphone

      Drugs

      "Or where is the saved money going to go?"

      Judging by what the Whistle blowers at the BBC say, they will use it for more cocaine!

  5. ewan 3
    Alert

    Cut the crap not the news

    Here's hoping they don't cut back the news bit of the beeb - it's one of the best things on the net. Get rid of the rest of the stuff on the beeb website tho - do TV programs really need mini sites?

    1. Jacqui

      TV mini sites

      Yes - BBC's commercial arm makes a bundle out of selling programs abroad and selling DVD sets. The fan sites are an integral part of connecting with the customer base and advertising thier new product as "news".

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Troll

      Murdoch?

      Sadly, i suspect thats probably part of the point.

      Murdock has been moaning incessantly on his lack of ability to screw over the consumer in the UK because the BBC provides a far better news service than anything his companies achieve.

      TBH, whatever you think of the license fee, and the argument about not being able to opt out of it, i do think that the 12 quid a month for everything the BBC provides is a far better deal than anything Sky offers. (So much so that when i moved house, i didnt bother getting a dish for the new place)

      As usual, your milage may vary, ect...

  6. Graham Bartlett
    Stop

    What to cut? Not too hard

    Anything repeating what's already available elsewhere on the Beeb - fine. So keep BBC news and weather.

    Anything directly supporting the programmes. So pages for each radio show with track listings, recipes from cookery shows, etc..

    Maybe anything that only needs a bit of server space and doesn't need active administration, such as forums with volunteer moderators, particularly forums relating to the programmes. If it needs active administration, it dies.

    That leaves:-

    Fake Doctor Who/Torchwood tie-in websites to try to astroturf publicity. Doctor Who games with dodgy dated graphics. BBC Health, unless it gets separate NHS funding. BBC Learning, unless it gets separate Department of Education funding. BBC Switch - there are any number of media portal sites around, and we don't need another one created with public money.

    Also ditch BBC orchestras - keep the name if you want, but no money except for paid performances. And festival sponsorship - if you want to go to a festival, pay to go to a festival, but don't expect me to subsidise your ticket (and don't try to tell me that Glastonbury or the Cambridge Folk Festival wouldn't happen without BBC sponsorship).

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Grenade

    Is it time for BBC News to have a 'people power' moment?

    Except it won't work.

    6Music doesn't pose a threat to newspapers, so there was plenty of publicity. BBC News websites however are the preferred news source for lots of our country and a real alternative to Murdoch's empire.

    I can't help but feel this is all a thinly-veiled exercise to ultimately get rid of the BBC or neuter it to the point where it has no impact. IMO the Times paywall is another branch of the same exercise - they're waiting for it to fail so they can use it as an example where news.bbc.co.uk is killing the private sector.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The BBC could cut 25% of it's online budget

    Without cutting any product or service at all. They are massively over staffed with managers. I wouldn't be surprised if it is 2-3 managers every "worker" (i.e. Productive person)

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Stop

      Wrong wrong wrong

      I can assure you that is most definitely not the case.

      Working as a web developer, where my line manager is also another developer, things seem pretty efficient and lean to me. I can also vouch for my managers both working extremely hard and being very talented people. I reckon they're pretty good value at half the price of equivalent private sector wages.

      AC for obvious reasons

  9. JaitcH
    Unhappy

    The dumb Neanderthals strike again

    What the BBC Trust doesn't understand is that the BBC website represents Britain to the world. It's where many students worldwide find resources for their homework and language training.

    In countries where the BBC news is blocked many permit access to the non-news pages, so even countries politically antagonistic to the UK realise the value of the web site - pity the Neanderthals aren't as smart.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      whining students

      I think the trust understands exactly what the website is for, although it probably does not understand why it should be subsidising foreign students out of the uk taxpayers pocket. Isn't that what the foreign aid fund is for? Whether it (foreign aid) should be ring fenced against cuts when all other spending is to be cut down is another argument.

  10. Stuart 22
    WTF?

    BBC must not compete!

    One of Britain's few remaining successes with an online global presence no UK commercial enterprise would likley ever achieve. A TV service that gives the best value per buck and is the most popular.

    But it must not compete when commercial organisations could do the job - but don't!

    Murdoch et al just want to emasculate the BBC to reduce competition and don't care a flying f**k about the viewer/listener/surfer. Mutuals (of which the BBC is sort of) can and do provide an alternative to pure commercial that benefits society. Anyone who remembers the history of Building Societies that de-mutualised and help head the banking crisis will remember.

    Emasculate the BBC and we will soon be reduced to Italian style TV.

  11. Sureo
    Thumb Down

    ..represents Britain to the world...

    So, why then can't I access BBC web content here in the colonies?

    1. JaitcH
      Alert

      Which 'colony' are you in?

      If I can access the Beeb in China, using a proxy, which country has an even tighter control other than North Korea?

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Paris Hilton

    Get used to it UK!

    You had a chance to vote - you may have used that chance.

    The people now in power are not really associated with magnanimous gestures of throwing taxpayers sheckles at anything (apart form ... )

    No part of the public sector is likely to expand in the next 5 years - fact.

    On the other hand the people have spoken and their choice (if one upholds the voting system) is worthy of support rather than frustration.

  13. Henry Wertz 1 Gold badge

    It IS a bit of a monster...

    really. I'm not going to guess what should be cut, but it's seriously one of the hugest web sites I've ever seen.

  14. DaveB
    Stop

    news.bbc.co.uk international edition

    I fail to understand why when your outside the UK (or inside on a none UK network) you are delivered an International(USA) version of the BBC news website.

    Why can't the BBC news site just be one version, the UK one.

    1. JaitcH

      It's the minutiae

      Overseas viewers are to interested in 'tail backs', etc. so the deeper overseas content is appreciated.

      World TV is like CNN Headline news, ad nauseum repetition.

  15. Sureo
    Unhappy

    Which 'colony' are you in?

    I'm in Canada. When I try to view a video (ie http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/8784859.stm) I get: "Cannot play media. Sorry, this media is not available in your territory."

  16. SilverWave
    Unhappy

    So cutting the most popular thing the BBC has done in 20 years :-(

    Internet is the BBC's future and the only way I use the BBC's output...

    This is BAD.

    Caving to commercial pressure?

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