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BBC plans to outsource and offshore thousands of tech roles
Chris Chambers – stock.adobe.com
The BBC is drawing up plans to outsource roles in its digital product group and finance, which could include some being carried out overseas
The BBC is reported to be looking at how it can meet tough cost-cutting targets by outsourcing roles in tech and finance.
According to a Guardian report, thousands of UK jobs are at risk as the broadcaster seeks cost savings, which could see work carried out offshore.
The report states that jobs in Salford, Glasgow, Newcastle and Cardiff could be lost through the plans. Affected departments include the BBC’s finance function and its digital product group, which develops digital platforms like iPlayer.
The BBC is said to be in talks with US tech giants, and jobs could be moved offshore.
The BBC would not comment on the reported plans, but a spokesperson said: “Like many organisations, it’s routine to assess different options that could deliver these changes, and it would be wrong to suggest decisions have been taken.”
The spokesperson added: “We have made clear our ambition to innovate and transform to be able to invest in the content and services audiences love. To do this, we must accelerate our transformation and take advantage of opportunities in technology or with partners to strengthen our capabilities.”
Transform through technology
In a speech in May, BBC director general Tim Davie said: “We want to transform the BBC through new technology.”
He described the use of artificial intelligence (AI) across the broadcaster’s business as an example: “The majority of BBC staff are already using AI in their work and we see big potential as we develop our own bespoke large language model, deploying agentic AI capabilities.”
To this end, he said the organisation was “looking at new, major partnerships with the world-leading big-tech companies, the hyperscalers”.
“As part of this, we are already working on the media supply chain, the process behind the scenes that gets content from the camera to screen, from microphone to the headphone. This will open up huge creative possibilities, and it will allow us to drive efficiencies and reinvest into world-class content,” he added.
Davie also said the organisation wants to increase its use of social media platforms. “We want to help turn the tide by dramatically increasing our news presence on platforms like YouTube and TikTok to ensure we have a stronger position amidst the noise,” he said.
“We are already making progress. We are the biggest news account globally on Instagram, but we want to deploy new technology and skills to create more content that works on these platforms while incentivising links to our services.”
When it comes to the finance department, the BBC has used Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) since 2023, in a contract with the Indian IT giant to transform the finance and payroll function.
Public sector offshoring
There is a growing appetite for public sector organisations, such as the BBC, to offshore work to locations such as India to take advantage of huge low-cost talent pools.
Speaking to Computer Weekly about TCS’s UK public sector plans last year, Amit Kapur, its UK country head, said there was “potential, paucity and action” with “good engagement”.
It’s not just Indian giants that see the UK public sector as an opportunity. Mumbai-headquartered Hexaware said IT suppliers that currently dominate the public sector were in its sights, with a changing appetite for tech within UK government departments and public sector bodies.
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