The BBC has announced plans to cut 382 jobs across its global service, under which BBC Arabic and BBC Persian radios will be closed.
The BBC said the plans would accelerate its digital offerings and increase its impact with audiences around the world.
The World Service will continue to operate globally as a 24-hour broadcaster, with new timings, programs and podcasts announced in due course.
The BBC said: “Today’s proposals include a total of about 382 job cuts. The proposals will see seven more language services migrate to digital only, reflecting the success of other services that already provide purely digital services and perform well with audiences. This means that nearly half of all 41 language services will be digital only.”
It added: “The BBC World Service will continue to operate in all languages and countries it is currently in, including new languages added during its expansion in 2016. No language services will be closed.”
“The World Service will continue to serve audiences during moments of danger and will ensure that audiences in countries such as Russia, Ukraine and Afghanistan have access to vital news services, using appropriate broadcast and distribution platforms.”
