Two years after the merger of its UK and international news channels, the end of March introduces further schedule changes as management implement cuts.
- BBC News says goodbye to HARDtalk and Click ahead of the end of Sportsday later this year.
- New technology show takes over weekend slots.
The BBC News channel will introduce changes to its UK and international broadcasts this week as two long running programmes end.
Daily interview show HARDtalk, and technology show Click, which first aired internationally as Click Online in 2000 have been axed by the BBC as it seeks to makes further budget cuts. Both shows were originally commissioned for the commercially funded BBC World channel in 1997 and 2000 respectively.
BBC staff working on both programmes were first informed of the broadcaster’s plans back in the autumn, who then made the plans public via social media. Click was presented by Spencer Kelly and Lara Lewington. Stephen Sackur fronted HARDtalk, which has welcomed hundreds of influential guests from the world of politics, arts and culture. Ahead of its closure on Friday, the show has been screening highlights from its nearly 30 years of daily interviews.
What’s changing?
In place of Click, new technology show Tech Now fills the weekend BBC News schedules. It will take over the baton from Click with a remit ranging from AI and robotics, to health, climate, transport and gaming.
Meanwhile, BBC News has added extra news slots to fill many of HARDtalk’s former slots in the schedule from this weekend. It means rolling news will make up more of the weekend’s schedule.
During the week, it’s international viewers who will see more changes as a result of HARDtalk closing. The programme had been previously broadcast at various times during the day to reach viewers in different timezones, whereas UK viewers most recently only saw the programme in a late night slot.
The UK-specific 10:30am news slot is axed. Previously UK viewers could see more UK stories during this half-hour while international viewers saw a screening of HARDtalk.
In the evening, BBC schedules from 31st March have Newsnight broadcasting internationally at 10:30pm, replacing the international evening broadcast of HARDtalk. The programme is already shown on the UK feed. To accommodate Newsnight in the BBC News UK schedule, the programme is routinely cut off early to switch to World News America.
The BBC maintains it’s making these changes to reflect how viewers access news. However, the broadcaster is also under pressure to make further cuts. Some of the organisational changes resulting from the schedule changes are designed to increase efficiency.
More cuts to come
Later this year, the BBC will cut back on sports news bulletins and axe Sportsday on the UK version of the service. This will further reduce the difference between the UK and international feeds of the channel.
The BBC officially combined its UK and international news channels in April 2023. However, many UK-specific programmes, including The Papers and The Film Review had already been axed at this point. The BBC reassured viewers in the UK it would continue to opt-out of the international schedule to cover UK stories as needed.
By: Marc Thornham | Image: BBC