The BBC named former Google executive Matt Brittin as its new director general yesterday, replacing Tim Davie who quit last year after a misleading edit of a speech by US President Donald Trump.
BBC Chair Samir Shah said it was ‘clear there is need for radical reform’ at the publicly funded broadcaster, and he and the board believed Brittin to be the right person to steer the change.
“The stakes for the BBC, and the future of public service broadcasting, have never been higher,” he added.
Aside from a $10 billion lawsuit from Trump, the BBC is facing a battle to stay relevant as viewers, particularly younger audiences, shift to streamers and other digital platforms.
Trump accuses it of defamation over how the BBC spliced together footage of parts of a speech he gave on January 6, 2021, before his supporters stormed the US Capitol. The broadcaster has argued the lawsuit should be dismissed, saying Trump’s subsequent reelection showed the alleged defamation did not harm his reputation.
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