The BBC's director general Matt Brittin has warned that some channels and radio stations may have to close as the broadcaster seeks to make £500 million in savings and shift resources towards on-demand services. The closures would be driven by the BBC's tight financial situation and a significant shift in audience behaviour, with Brittin stating that "we wouldn't guarantee any programme or any channel will exist forever." The corporation has already announced closures of several programmes including Blankety Blank, Celebrity Mastermind, Live At The Apollo and Football Focus, with further cuts expected.

To illustrate the changing consumption patterns, Brittin highlighted examples where broadcast channels might have around 100,000 viewers but 500,000 people access the same programmes through iPlayer on-demand. He emphasised that his priority when making cuts would be to "minimise the impact on audience" and to align the BBC's offerings with how people actually consume content. Brittin, who took over as director general in May after a decade as president of Google in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, also discussed the BBC's approach to artificial intelligence, saying he would permit AI-assisted content "within guardrails" but insisted that human creativity must remain central to the corporation's mission.