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BBC boss Matt Brittin admits he had NO IDEA how severe the broadcaster's £500m cuts would be

The BBC licence fee is at the centre of warnings that the corporation faces an accelerating decline in its scale and reach.
The BBC licence fee is at the centre of warnings that the corporation faces an accelerating decline in its scale and reach.
Matt Brittin, who became BBC director-general in May, has admitted he underestimated the "severity" of the cuts facing the corporation, which must save £500 million by 2028/29.
Matt Brittin, who became BBC director-general in May, has admitted he underestimated the "severity" of the cuts facing the corporation, which must save £500 million by 2028/29.

Matt Brittin confessed at the Edinburgh TV Festival that he did not understand how deep the BBC's financial crisis ran when he took the director-general's job in May. The BBC must find £500m in savings by 2028/29, with around 2,000 jobs expected to go, and Brittin said he knew cuts had been announced but had not grasped their severity until he was in post.

Brittin also called the BBC 'inward looking' and said risk aversion was holding the corporation back from experimenting.

He set out a radical plan for a new British public service content platform, with the BBC driving a reimagined space for public media.

Departing Radio 4 presenter Amol Rajan warned BBC News will shrink at an 'accelerating rate' and is 'screwed' unless the licence fee is replaced.

MoreThe IndependentBBC boss Matt Brittin says he ‘hadn’t understood severity’ of proposed cutsbroadcastnow.co.uk​Matt Brittin sets out radical plan for new British content platformThe HeraldBBC boss Matt Brittin says he ‘hadn’t understood severity’ of proposed cuts
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