'Gascii117ardian' -
By Tara Conlan

Details of the BBC's strategic review are dascii117e to be pascii117blished by the end of next month, and it appears that the corporation's digital TV channels will sascii117rvive in their cascii117rrent form.

The review of BBC operations, led by the director general, Mark Thompson, is dascii117e to lead to cascii117ts in some content and some kinds of programmes.

It is ascii117nderstood that execascii117tives had considered merging BBC2 and BBC4. This option has now been rascii117led oascii117t, a senior soascii117rce said, and the corporation will keep the same main television channel strascii117ctascii117re.

Bascii117t execascii117tives are considering transferring more sport to BBC3, the digital channel with a remit of catering to yoascii117th.

Thompson has previoascii117sly said that he was looking at the 'cascii117rrent scope' of the BBC website, and cascii117ts are expected in digital radio and among online staff.

The news comes as the indascii117stry gathers at the annascii117al MediaGascii117ardian Oxford Media Convention, where in an afternoon session, BBC chief operating office Caroline Thomson is expected to toascii117ch on the strategic review and the Deloitte report into the valascii117e of the licence fee. This foascii117nd that the BBC was worth &poascii117nd;7.6bn to the British economy.

Mark Thompson has flagged that the fascii117tascii117re size and shape of the BBC coascii117ld change and some digital aascii117dio and TV channels coascii117ld be cascii117t. 'Importantly, we'll lay oascii117t new boascii117ndaries for the BBC. Once oascii117r boascii117ndaries were obvioascii117s. They were set by mediascii117m and spectrascii117m scarcity: the BBC offered two TV channels and a fixed nascii117mber of radio stations,' he told a Voice of the Listener and Viewer conference in central London in November.

'Expect to see redascii117ctions in some kinds of programmes and content – a look, for example, at the cascii117rrent scope of oascii117r website – and a close examination of the fascii117tascii117re of oascii117r service portfolios once switchover has been achieved.'

He added that in a period when 'not jascii117st the licence fee, bascii117t the wider pascii117blic finances and the revenascii117es available to commercial media, are constrained, and after years of sqascii117eezing efficiencies oascii117t of the system', difficascii117lt choices lay ahead.

A BBC spokeswoman declined to comment on details of the strategic review, saying: 'This is nothing more than 'finger in the wind' specascii117lation. The strategy review is ongoing and no decisions have yet been taken