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To achieve the 10 per cent growth target set by the board of governors,
the BBC will to employ a range of solutions, including the closure
of some sites, the reduction of investment and increased focus in
others, as well as make savings through operational efficiencies.
The BBC has set itself the target of saving £6 milion on
its new media unit. This will be made by the end of the financial
year 2005/06 and will be reinvested in new media projects more closely
aligned to the purposes of the BBC as set out in Building Public
Value. BBC director of new media and technology Ashley Highfield
said, "This is all about focussing our investment so that we
can best use our funding to reach and delight the largest audiences
with the most distinctive and original content.
"It is about preparing ourselves for the broadband world.
In order to free up the required funding we need to behave like
Television and Radio. In other words, decommission, reduce funding
or archive web content that no longer needs this level of investment
or which may have become amply supplied by the market.
It is an ongoing process for bbc.co.uk. These changes build on the
first steps we took in July to close those websites which we felt
did not offer sufficient distinctive public value for the investment
required.
"The savings we made in July represented 2.5 per cent of our
web output. To meet the 10 per cent target set out by the BBC Governors,
we are announcing a further 7.5 per cent reduction to be achieved
through lowering investment in areas where we feel this will not
cause a reduction in public value, and by sharing resources with
the commercial world."
The US Sports section of bbc.co.uk/sport and the local history
site, bbc.co.uk/legacies, will close down because of similarities
with the existing market and insufficient value for money, respectively.
Funding for bbc.co.uk/cult will be reduced, with the exception of
the Doctor Who section, to support the forthcoming series
on BBC Oe. bbc.co.uk/lifestyle will continue to operate, but with
a more modest investment.
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