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Gary Lineker has agreed to a 25% pay cut to remain host of the Match of the Day for the next five years, along with a deal to be more careful in his use of Twitter to push political causes.
Tim Davie, the new CEO of the BBC, announced the deal at the launch of the corporation’s annual report, emphasizing that all BBC staff would be subject to strict new social media guidelines within weeks.
Lineker, who earlier this year suggested it was time to make the BBC’s leave fee voluntary, took home £ 1.75 million in the last financial year, far ahead of any other employee. . He has drawn the ire of right-wing media for tweeting criticism of the government and Brexit.
“Gary knows he has responsibilities to the BBC when it comes to using social media,” Davie said.
The pay cut will put Lineker on a par with Radio 2 breakfast show host Zoe Ball, who took home 1.36 million pounds last year. The annual report, which includes salaries for all staff earning more than £ 150,000, reveals substantial pay increases for many prominent women.
Lauren Laverne’s income increased substantially, to £ 395,000, for her promotion to become 6Music’s main presenter, while there was also a steep pay increase for Fiona Bruce, who took home £ 450,000 after landing the presenting job. in question time.
The figures cover only the earnings from the BBC’s public service output, which means it is dominated by news and sports presenters. The decision to exclude staff working for BBC Studios, the corporation’s for-profit program creation arm, means that the proceeds of many popular shows like Casualty or Strictly Come Dancing are being kept secret.
The annual report also reveals that the corporation failed to achieve its own goal of having 15% of leadership positions filled by black, Asian and ethnic minority staff by 2020, amid concerns among staff about people’s career progression. of color within the organization.
On-screen representation of people of color accounts for as much as 27% of all BBC contributors, but among staff who help get the shows on, it remains below 10%.
The BBC is also facing significant financial pressure. There has been another small drop in the number of British television licensed households, although the number of households continues to rise.
Davie stressed that he would impose new measures to boost the perception of the BBC as an unbiased news outlet, especially around the Twitter activity of news reporters. He said there would be new guidelines for all BBC employees in a few weeks, with even stricter rules for anyone involved in the new BBC production.
The BBC has also admitted that it is now considered the second best option for streaming content among some parts of the public: “Members of the younger audience often view Netflix as the market leader … iPlayer is generally valued, but it is generally used to find something they already know rather than as a destination “.
Viewing of traditional TV channels continues to decline sharply, although the BBC claimed that, for the first time, streaming viewing on iPlayer is beginning to replace these lost audiences.
Top earners from the BBC
one. Gary Lineker £ 1.75 million
two. Zoe ball £ 1.36 million
3. Graham norton – £ 725,000
Four. Steve Wright – £ 475,000
5. Huw edwards – £ 465,000
6. Fiona bruce – £ 450,000
7. Vanessa feltz – £ 405,000
8. Lauren laverne – £ 395,000
9. Alan shearer – £ 390,000
10. Stephen Nolan – £ 390,000
