PARIS — The British Broadcasting Corp. on Tuesday yielded to critics of its aggressive expansion, proposing sweeping cuts in spending on its Web site and other digital operations.

The proposals were published in a strategic review, only weeks before a British election that could usher in a period of austerity. Members of the Conservative Party, which is expected to make electoral gains at the expense of the governing Labour Party, have called for the BBC to be reined in, echoing commercial rivals who have complained about the public broadcaster’s growing reach in areas beyond traditional radio and television.

Mark Thompson, director-general of the BBC, said the plans marked a “step-change with the past” at the BBC, which is financed by a mandatory fee on all television-owning British households.

“After years of expansion of our services in the U.K., we are proposing some reductions,” he said in a speech. “The point of the reductions is not to diminish the service we offer to the public, but rather to focus the license fee and the creative energy of the BBC on delivering the highest quality and the maximum public value.”