360 jobs to go in BBC Online shake-up

The budget for online services will be cut by 25 per cent

The BBC announced today that its online budget will be cut by £34m and as a result 360 posts will be lost over the next two years.

The BBC Trust has approved plans which will see a 25 per cent reduction in the service licence budget and about 200 top level domains cut.

Under the new strategy, BBC Online will be transformed into 10 separate products: News, Sport, Weather, CBeebies, CBBC, Knowledge & Learning, Radio & Music, TV & iPlayer, Homepage and Search.

"BBC Online is a huge success, but our vast portfolio of web sites 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 BBC Online for the future," said Mark Thompson, BBC's Director-General.

"I know that these changes will be painful for affected staff. But I firmly believe that they are right for the BBC at this time."

The closures announced today include the BBC iPlayer message board, a reduction in sports news and live sport, as well as the closure of the skills web site RAW and documentary site Video Nation.