BBC Restructures Future Media & Technology Division

LONDON: In the wake of Erik Huggers’ resignation as director of Future Media & Technology at the BBC, the public broadcaster is reorganizing the division, separating it into two distinct areas.

Huggers is leaving the BBC at the end of February to become corporate VP and general manager of Intel’s Digital Home Group in Silicon Valley, California. Announcing Huggers’ departure, Mark Thompson, director-general of the BBC, said, "Erik is the key architect for a radical refocusing of BBC Online as part of our proposals for Delivering Quality First, which we will be announcing in due course. He also presided over significant technology projects such as W1, BBC North and Fabric and has chaired the YouView consortia to the point where it was incorporated as a joint venture. He has been a dynamic and inspiring colleague and I wish him all the best with his new role at Intel."

Thompson continued, "Following Erik’s departure, it has been decided, in part, following conversations within the division, to reorganize the Future Media & Technology area into two more distinct areas—the development of our digital services to the public such as BBC iPlayer (Future Media) and the core, underlying technology which powers the BBC (Technology). And so, rather than replacing Erik with a new Director of FM&T, I have asked two of Erik’s direct reports to step up."

John Linwood has been upped to chief technology officer, with responsibility for delivering the BBC’s digital needs in terms of production, broadcast, connectivity and enterprise support. Ralph Rivera is becoming director of future media, a division which will focus on developing and delivering digital products and services.