ITV Wales plans to cut programmes and newsroom jobs

ITV Wales plans to cut two programmes and reduce the number of producer roles in its Cardiff newsroom.

The broadcaster said the proposals would "help to ease some cost pressure" and would allow its English language teams to "work more flexibly".

ITV confirmed it was proposing to end its long-running Coast and Country show and weekly arts and entertainment programme Backstage.

The changes would not affect the amount of news and current affairs programmes which are broadcast by ITV Wales each week.

A spokesperson said the broadcaster had begun consulting with staff after informing most of them about the proposals on Tuesday morning.

Coast and Country has run for over a decade and focuses on rural communities, the environment and the Welsh countryside.

It has been presented by weather presenter Ruth Dodsworth and Sean Fletcher.

BBC Wales understands that the number of producers working at ITV Wales may reduce from six to two as part of the restructure, while efforts to reduce expenditure could mean more programmes are made in the studio rather than on location.

An ITV Cymru Wales spokesperson said the wider industry was under "significant economic pressure" and these proposals were part of efforts to mitigate some of that financial strain.

They added that its plan to "restructure some of the teams that make our English language programmes to enable us to work more flexibly" while protecting its commitments to audience and the regulator, Ofcom.

Earlier this year, Sky agreed a £1.6bn deal to buy ITV's broadcasting and streaming operations, while leaving ITV Studios as a separate company. The takeover is subject to scrutiny, and may not proceed until late 2027.

In September BBC Wales announced it would cut 58 jobs as part of wider efforts across the BBC to save £500 million.