BBC Sport confirms further cuts as furious staff left weighing up strike action

BBC Sport have unveiled further controversial cost-saving moves which will see them bin off their lunchtime and overnight sports bulletins.

The decision will see them cut their number of journalists as part of another restructure. The sports bulletins, which run on the 24-hour BBC News channel, will no longer be shown, staff have been told.

The Times reports that staff were told of the news on Wednesday, and that the corporation hadn't seen enough people put their hand up for voluntary redundancy, which means they will have to impose compulsory cuts. Seven sports journalists will be axed, some of them in senior roles, and the newsroom continues to consider the possibility of strike action in response to the decisions taken by the company's chiefs.

The cuts will also forced some staff have to re-apply for their jobs, which will involve them having to undertake a written exercise. One insider said that the prospect of having to do such an exercise is “insulting”.

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Alex Kay-Jelski, the BBC’s director of sport, has come under fire for some of his decision as he continues to pursue a younger audience, and has talked down any worries regarding their loss of live action as several sporting events are let go by the BBC.

In February, the BBC Sport boss maintained they can still be “relevant” even if it don't have the rights to many live events. “You can still be relevant, you can still matter if you don’t show the sport. No-one out there can show it all," he said. "So, you just have to make sure you’re in the conversation of the things that matter.”

Kay-Jelski has overseen a revamp of BBC's sporting coverage. They have moved on from long-running programmes and events such as Football Focus, the Commonwealth Games, the Boat Race, Ski Sunday and the Rugby League World Cup. Formula 1, Six Nations matches involving England and the Open are also now shown by different broadcasters.

Kay-Jelski also claimed: “It’s OK if a lot of these innovations don’t make everybody happy. It’s also OK if some of the traditional forms of whether it’s media content or sporting content don’t make people happy.

“There are too many millions of different types of fans out there to start living in fear and not trying things because you’re worried about backlash.