BBC appoints ex-Google chief Matt Brittin as director general

For over a decade, Matt Brittin was president of Google’s Europe, Middle East and Africa division, which earns around a third of its revenue.

The 57-year-old stepped down last year after 18 years at Google.

Photo: AFP The BBC on Wednesday named Matt Brittin, a former Google executive with no television or journalism experience, as its next director general.

The appointment to the high-profile role comes as the under-fire British broadcaster faces drastic shifts in the media landscape and a US$10 billion lawsuit brought by US President Donald Trump. “The BBC board has today appointed Matt Brittin as the 18th director general of the BBC.

Matt, former president Google EMEA, will take over the role on May 18,” the BBC said in a statement.

Chairman of the BBC board, Samir Shah said: “Matt brings to the BBC deep experience of leading a high-profile and highly complex organisation through transformation.” Brittin’s name has been circulating in the UK media for weeks, after the current director general, Tim Davie resigned in November over the editing of a documentary about Trump.

The Times daily wrote ahead of Brittin’s appointment that appointing a tech executive with no direct experience of television or journalism would be a “significant shift” and “raised some eyebrows”.

The Daily Telegraph quoted an unnamed senior media figure calling this a “huge, huge risk”.

Davie, who has held the post since 2020, is due to step down on April 2, and Brittin will be taking on a challenging post.

The job specification posted on the BBC website in November described the role as one of “the most important, high-profile public posts in the UK”.

For over a decade, Brittin was president of Google’s Europe, Middle East and Africa division, which earns around a third of its revenue.

The 57-year-old stepped down last year after 18 years at Google, saying he wanted a break.

Last year Brittin became a fellow of the Royal Television Society, which hands out prestigious awards.

In his acceptance speech he admitted to “impostor syndrome”.

He voiced admiration for the British television industry he had “been trying to get into for a very long time”.

And he named favourite shows including cult BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who.

He was educated at the University of Cambridge, but his late father grew up in a small shop in London with “BBC wireless (radio) for news and entertainment”, he has said.

Brittin describes himself on Linkedin as a “Gap year student” with an image of him

原文链接: 南华早报