Sky Content material MD Zai Bennett is heading to BBC Studios.
The UK packages chief of the Comcast-owned pay-TV large will run BBC Studios Productions, a job that has been vacant for a number of months and some of the talked about within the British trade. He replaces Ralph Lee.
Bennett will oversee a manufacturing arm that spans all genres, making the likes of Planet Earth, Strictly Come Dancing and Physician Who. BBC Studios Productions additionally owns a wealth of indies together with Clerkenwell Movies, Lookout Level and Voltage TV. He’ll be a part of BBC Studios in November, whereas he may also be on the exec committee.
At Sky, Bennett has overseen the likes of Chernobyl, Gangs of London and Patrick Melrose throughout a 10-year profession. Previous employers embody Channel 5, ITV and BBC Three. Deadline is instructed that he is not going to get replaced at Sky. His exit follows that of UK and Eire CEO Stephen van Rooyen earlier this yr.
BBC Studio CEO Tom Fussell stated: “Zai’s risk-taking artistic hit-rate speaks for itself. He has impression and gravitas and might propel BBC Studios Productions even quicker ahead with out dropping the deeply engrained BBC ethos all who work right here share. His deep style expertise in scripted comedy and drama via to factual leisure, documentaries, movie and children, coupled with the relationships he’s cultivated with the perfect artistic expertise, will complement our manufacturing enterprise development plans and take us to the subsequent stage domestically and globally. I can’t watch for him to start out.”
Bennett stated he’s “extremely excited” to be becoming a member of the “powerhouse that’s BBC Studios Productions.”
In a word to workers, he thanked “my implausible staff and colleagues” and stated: “As I stay up for the subsequent yr on display, now we have one of many strongest traces ups ever, so now could be the right time for me to maneuver on.”
Cécile Frot-Coutaz, who runs Sky Studios, praised him for “by no means being one to shrink back from massive swings.” She pointed to wider initiatives he has “spearheaded” such because the Coalition for Change.
Bennett may have his work reduce out at BBC Studios. The productions arm makes among the UK’s largest exhibits together with various international hits however revenues and earnings at BBC Studios had been down final yr, revealed within the BBC’s Annual Report earlier this week. He should shortly become familiar with the Strictly Come Dancing scandal, which has consumed the BBC of late, whereas the way forward for the Physician Who take care of Disney seems to be hanging within the steadiness.
