BBC plans to cut 2,000 jobs to reduce costs by about 10% over next 2 years

The BBC said Wednesday that it plans to cut up to 2,000 jobs to save 10% of its annual budget – 500 million pounds ($677 million) – over the next two years.

The layoffs announced during a call with staff are the biggest in more than a decade at the U.K. national broadcaster.

“I know this creates real uncertainty, but we wanted to be open about the challenge,” interim Director-General Rhodri Talfan Davies said in a staff email.