The BBC has released its Annual Plan for 2025–2026, setting its sights on digital growth, artificial intelligence and continued global service.
The U.K. media organization says it is focused on three key themes for the year: pursuing truth with no agenda, backing the best homegrown storytelling and bringing people together.
In the plan, the BBC said it is working with the U.K. government to “secure a sustainable long-term financial future for the BBC World Service.”
It also acknowledged a “smaller, leaner” workforce, noting that 2,000 roles have been eliminated over the past five years. The organization’s budget is now reduced £1 billion a year, adjusted for inflation, compared to 15 years ago. Its current group operating income is approximately £6 billion.
State of BBC radio networks
The organization plans to launch four new DAB+ music stations, pending British regulator Ofcom’s final approval, which it said is expected by June. The proposed DAB+ additions are:
- Radio 1 Dance (already streaming online)
- Radio 1 Anthems
- A Radio 2 extension (name TBD)
- Radio 3 Unwind
The BBC said the digital stations are designed to better serve younger and underserved audiences, especially those in working-class socioeconomic groups. Its early data shows Radio 1 Dance is already resonating with 16–34-year-olds, with the BBC being the only U.K. media brand to rank in the top five with that age demographic.
The plan does not mention a specific transition away from analog FM and AM but there are numerous references to an IP-dominant future. This includes the launch of Freely, a joint IP TV platform, presented as a potential model for digital transition.
Citing an IPA TouchPoints study, the BBC says 61% of U.K. audiences still spend their weekly audio time with radio — making it the most-used audio format. However, that figure has dropped from 72% in 2019.
“BBC Radio weekly reach held steady in the last year, bucking its recent trend, while commercial radio saw gains,” the organization said in its plan.
According to the plan, the collective BBC reaches around 35 million adults per day — “far more than any other brand for media,” it said.
AI and monitoring plans outlined
Artificial intelligence is also a focal point in the BBC’s plan. The organization is currently developing its own BBC Large Language Model and testing various AI-driven initiatives, which include:
- Live text page generation for its football broadcasts
- AI-generated subtitles for BBC Sounds
- New language services for the BBC World Service using AI
- Broader content delivery expansion in mobile-first regions, such as sub-Saharan Africa
Regarding AI-generated music, the plan states that while “AI has potential uses in audio, it will require greater cooperation with music artists to ensure fair use.”
[Related: “BBC Commits to ‘Making the most of AI’ as Part of Annual Plan”]
The organization said its BBC News brand is the “world’s most trusted international news provider.” Its BBC Monitoring platform, which monitors media worldwide, will increase its tracking of ongoing events in Russia and China, developments in Syria and reaction to Donald Trump’s presidency, the plan said.
In addition to its BBC Sounds podcast platform, the organization said it is focused on its new BBC.com app, where those outside Great Britain, including the U.S., can experience its podcasts.
