The bonuses of the BBC's 10 most senior executives have been suspended indefinitely amid public anger over the size of their salaries.
Some of the directors were reportedly awarded more than £100,000 in bonuses last year and Sir Michael Lyons, chairman of the BBC Trust, has said that some salaries had appeared too high given the economic situation.
The move to axe directors' bonuses comes after the earnings of the BBC's 50 highest-paid staff were revealed last month. Its annual report published today is expected to reveal that the 10 directors earned almost £5million, an increase of 17% from the previous year.
In today's Daily Telegraph, Lyons wrote: "In February we formally asked the Executive Board's non executive directors to conduct a review of BBC executive pay. This is looking at base pay and other incentives and will take account of the expectations of licence fee payers as well as market realities.
"Findings are due in the autumn, but I can reveal that we have already reached agreement that Executive Board bonus payments will be suspended until further notice and not reintroduced without the Trust's approval."