91Èȱ¬

The 91Èȱ¬ is to reshape 91Èȱ¬ Online by 2013 to deliver its public service mission in the digital age.

The reorganisation will mean the service licence budget for 91Èȱ¬ Online is reduced by a quarter. It will also require the closure of up to 360 posts.

The new plans, which set a much clearer digital agenda for the 91Èȱ¬, are the first step in the delivery of the 91Èȱ¬'s strategy, Putting Quality First.

The changes, which have been approved by the 91Èȱ¬ Trust, will deliver:

• A better quality service based on the 91Èȱ¬'s five editorial priorities
• A 25% reduction in service licence budget and a halving of the number of Top Level Domains
• Commitments and clarity on what the 91Èȱ¬ will and will not do online
• A pledge to engage with industry twice a year about its plans
• Action to double the number of referrals to external websites by 2013/14 to around 22m each month

Under one unified strategy, 91Èȱ¬ Online will be transformed into 10 distinctive products: News, Sport, Weather, CBeebies, C91Èȱ¬, Knowledge & Learning, Radio & Music, TV & iPlayer, 91Èȱ¬page and Search. Each of them will share common technical features such as consistent design, improved navigation, and the ability for licence fee payers to personalise and access them across a range of devices, from computers and mobiles to tablets and TVs.

To deliver the new 91Èȱ¬ Online, the 91Èȱ¬ will implement new ways of working around product management, including enhanced collaboration between teams from editorial, technical, design and audience research.

91Èȱ¬ Director-General Mark Thompson said: "91Èȱ¬ Online lies at the heart of the 91Èȱ¬'s digital future. As in television and radio, licence fee payers look to the 91Èȱ¬ to inform, educate and entertain them online. As digital technologies advance, internet delivery of content becomes more important and more profound in our lives.

"91Èȱ¬ Online is a huge success, but our vast portfolio of websites 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 91Èȱ¬ Online for the future.

"I know that these changes will be painful for affected staff. But I firmly believe that they are right for the 91Èȱ¬ at this time."

The 91Èȱ¬ is also announcing a reduction in scale and scope of the website and is spelling out areas of refocus, closures and reductions, along with clarity on areas 91Èȱ¬ Online will not cover at all.

Editorial focus of the new 91Èȱ¬ Online:

• High quality news focused on up-to-the-minute news updates backed up by rich multimedia content from correspondents across the UK and the world
• 91Èȱ¬ News Entertainment & Arts section will have more culture and arts coverage
• Dynamic 'editions' of 91Èȱ¬ Online for each Nation that reflect the interests of the audience
• Clearer focus of local sites on news, sport, weather and travel
• Sport will focus on fast, reliable and in-depth news and dynamic coverage of the best live events that bring the nation together
• Safe, creative spaces for children
• A single merged offer in Knowledge & Learning, making the most of 91Èȱ¬ content, from science to literacy, arts to maths – for adults pursuing a passion or brushing up a basic skill, and for children learning at home and school
• Radio will focus on live output, and the discovery of new music as played and recommended by 91Èȱ¬ DJs and iconic musicians
• 91Èȱ¬ iPlayer will be reshaped into a unified television offer, bringing together TV channels, programme information and live and on-demand content
• Selected archive content will be featured in TV & iPlayer and Radio & Music

The 91Èȱ¬ is announcing a set of closures and reductions as follows:

• The closure of half of the 400 Top Level Domains (with 180 closing ahead of schedule later this year)
• The replacement of the majority of programme websites with automated content
• The automation of bespoke digital radio sites 1Xtra, 5 Live Sports Extra, 6 Music and Radio 7
• The closure of RAW, Blast, Switch, Video Nation and the disposal of h2g2
• The removal of non-News features content from Local sites
• A substantial reduction in showbusiness news on the News website
• Fewer News blogs, with more focus on the updates from leading editors and correspondents
• A reduction in the overall amount of Sports news and live sport
• Stand-alone forums, communities and message boards and blogs to be reduced and replaced with integrated social tools
• The closure of the 606 community site and the closure of the 91Èȱ¬ iPlayer message board

91Èȱ¬ Online will not:

• Launch its own social network
• Offer specialist news content for specialist audiences
• Publish local listings
• Develop encyclopaedic propositions in Knowledge
• Provide continuing professional development materials for teachers or a managed learning environment for schools
• Become a video-on-demand aggregator in 91Èȱ¬ iPlayer, although it will link to other on-demand providers
• Produce online-only music sessions
• Offer track-by-track music streaming
• Invest in exclusive online sports rights

The 91Èȱ¬ Online service licence budget will be reduced by £34m from £137m today to £103m by 2013/14 (see note 1). As a result, there will be up to 360 proposed post closures which will be phased in over the next two years.

As announced by the 91Èȱ¬ Trust in December last year, 91Èȱ¬ Online's three-year strategy and business plan will be reviewed annually by the 91Èȱ¬ Trust. In addition, 91Èȱ¬ Online will engage with industry twice a year about its plans.

Notes to Editors

1. Financial: The 25% reduction (£34m) in the 91Èȱ¬ Online service licence budget by 2013/14 is a part of the 91Èȱ¬'s recently stated cost-cutting measures to deliver 20% savings as a result of the recent Licence Fee settlement, delivered early.

2. Management of 91Èȱ¬ Online: The Online Direction Group (ODG), which is chaired by the Director of Future Media & Technology Erik Huggers, is responsible for ensuring that 91Èȱ¬ Online meets the terms of its service licence. ODG is responsible for setting the editorial strategy for 91Èȱ¬ Online, with Roly Keating, Director of Archive Content, acting as editorial lead on behalf of the Group, while Andy Conroy, General Manager for 91Èȱ¬ Online, has operational management responsibility for the service. From 1 March, Ralph Rivera will assume the chairmanship of ODG following his appointment as Director of Future Media with a seat on the 91Èȱ¬'s Executive Board. This follows a reorganisation of FM&T, announced last week, in the wake of Erik Huggers' departure at the end of February.

91Èȱ¬ Press Office