BBC Studios Events Productions will increasingly rely on freelancers when it crews up for major live UK events as it cuts its in-house team.
While creative director Claire Popplewell will keep her post, there will be redundancies within her six-strong team, though BBCS has yet to confirm how many will lose their jobs.
Under a new flexible model, the reduced team will instead crew up with freelancers when needed for live events.
The team oversees coverage of events such as the Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph and royal coronations, weddings and funerals, and won a Royal Television Society Award last week for January’s Holocaust Memorial Day broadcast.
The BBC recently blamed ‘funding challenges’ for its decision not to show live overage of the Commonwealth Day Service and it is understood that the State Opening of Parliament in May will be covered by news crews rather than the events team.
A BBC spokesperson said: “As a prudent commercial business with a mandate to maximise returns to the BBC, we regularly look at how we’re set up and where we can work more efficiently.
“We’re proposing some changes that will help us stay strong creatively and continue to deliver a range of high-quality programmes - whilst managing our costs in a challenging and fast‑moving market.”
The BBC recently outlined plans to save 10% of costs over the next three years across the network and BBC Studios and has warned of “fewer commissioning opportunities”.
