Matt Brittin, a former Google boss, will be named the BBC’s next director-general, multiple sources have told The i Paper.
The 57-year-old led Google in Europe, the Middle East and Africa for a decade until stepping down last year.
Sources on the BBC Board said Brittin had secured the role after a final round of interviews this month. “It was a very strong field and we’re delighted with the choice,” said one.
Another said: “It’s Matt.”
One person said the process was “ongoing” until the new boss was confirmed.
The decision will disappoint BBC staffers hoping that the broadcaster would replace Tim Davie with the first female director-general in its history.
Brittin, a member of the British Olympic rowing team in 1988, has no programming or TV production experience and his appointment signifies another step in a “tech takeover” of UK institutions, insiders said.
Brittin is a strong leader who knows his way around Whitehall, allies say (Photo: Krisztian Bocsi/Getty)Others said Brittin’s confident demeanour and oversight of a global tech giant, which became a rival to the BBC, will be invaluable to the broadcaster as it fights for relevance in a world of online platforms and streaming.
An insider said: “Matt impressed with his passionate support for the BBC and his vision for its future. He’s a wealthy man but he said he was ready to throw himself into a big public service job. He was also available to get cracking after leaving Google, where other candidates were tied into contracts elsewhere.”
Leading figures who declined to apply for the job included Jay Hunt, the former BBC One controller and Channel 4 chief creative officer who is now at Apple TV; Alex Mahon, until recently Channel 4’s chief executive, and Charlotte Moore, the BBC’s former chief creative officer who now runs The Crown producer, Left Bank Pictures.
‘Good choice’ needs capable deputy
Sir John Whittingdale, a former culture secretary, told The i Paper that Brittin was a “good choice” but would need a “separate editorial chief” to help manage the kind of news programming controversies that scarred Davie’s reign.
One senior BBC figure, who knows Brittin, said he was in for a culture shock. “At Google, when you want something done, there are streamlined processes and it happens. At the BBC, everything is clogged up in bureaucracy. The first thing he needs to do is to cut through all that.”
Another pointed to Brittin’s difficulties at a Parliamentary select committee when he was quizzed over Google’s tax arrangements and was criticised by the chair for appearing not to know his own salary – he is understood to have been paid many multiples of the director-general’s £550,000 salary and bought a £4m London house.
The person said: “He has to be resilient, prepared for scandals from any quarter and a hostile media. The job takes its toll on family too. It looks like a creeping tech takeover. But you’d want someone who understands (Google-owned) YouTube at the highest level as that is the biggest challenge the BBC faces.”
Brittin’s selection from a tech background would follow Iain Bundred, a YouTube executive, who is now head of BBC policy.
Sceptics include Baroness Beeban Kidron, a crossbench peer and film producer, who previously said “the values of the Silicon Valley attention economy are not in line with the public service broadcast remit”.
Trump and licence fee is top of in-tray
Brittin’s in-tray includes Donald Trump’s $10bn lawsuit over the misleading Panorama editing of a 2021 speech, which prompted Davie’s departure. Trump this week called the BBC’s coverage of his Presidency “criminal” and “corrupt”.
And he inherits negotiations with the Government over the new BBC Charter, including a reformed licence fee, with the BBC suggesting streaming platforms and YouTube could be made to pay.
Brittin also has to implement a £500m cuts programme over the next two years, likely to mean further job losses.
Brittin is a childhood fan of Doctor Who (Photo: Danny Kasirye/BBC)The appointment could be good news for Doctor Who fans. Brittin is a fan of the sci-fi series, which currently faces an uncertain future. He is a comedy fan who cited Not The Nine O’Clock News and Morecambe & Wise as his favourite shows.
“The TV industry is something I love and have admired for a long time and I’ve been trying to get into for a very long time,” Brittin told the Royal Television Society last year.
Speaking last week, Davie advised his successor to “be lucky”, adding that the job is “not for the faint-hearted”.
The Government has no influence over the appointment of the director-general, which is made by BBC Chairman Samir Shah. However, the new boss will need to forge a strong working relationship with Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy.
This week, Nandy said she planned to give the BBC a permanent Charter over its governance, ending the need for renewal negotiations every decade.
The BBC said it would not comment on the selection process and an announcement will follow in due course.
Brittin is currently a non-executive director of Guardian Media Group. He would have to give up that role and could be asked to place any Google stock he may have into a trust.
He is expected to draw his £547,000 salary as director-general, despite being independently wealthy. “The BBC is not a charity case. It would set a bad precedent for future BBC bosses,” one of his supporters said.
Hence then, the article about new bbc director general set to be ex google boss was published today ( ) and is available on inews ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( New BBC director-general set to be ex-Google boss )
Also on site :