BBC To Cut Back Newsnight And Invest In Digital Amid Financial Pressures

BBC announced cuts to long-running show Newsnight amid a strategy move toward digital. (Screengrab via Youtube)

The BBC said it aims to bolster digital and cut short investment in its long-standing current affairs show Newsnight as part of a strategic response to changing audience habits and financial pressures.

In an announcement made Wednesday, BBC News and Current Affairs CEO Deborah Turness highlighted the urgency of adapting to the digital era, noting the rapid shift from TV to online news consumption.

In an article published to the broadcaster’s Media Centre, she said: “We are in a tough financial climate… While TV and radio remain crucial to BBC News, we must invest in our digital platforms to ensure they are also the home of our very best journalism.”

The reformatting of Newsnight, which has been a central fixture of BBC’s journalistic offering since 1980, represents the most notable change. The show will continue as a nightly feature on BBC Two, albeit reduced from a 40-minute broadcast slot to a 30-minute one. Several key roles in Newsnight’s production and operational teams will also be cut.

The BBC said it will seek to enhance its digital presence through the creation of a new BBC News Investigations unit and bolstering teams like BBC Verify.

These resource allocation changes are set against a backdrop of financial challenges, including a flat Licence Fee and inflation impacts, requiring the BBC to make £500m in cuts.