New Chief for BBC Worldwide Home Entertainment

LONDON, December 22: BBC
Worldwide has appointed Paul Dempsey to its board, in the role of managing
director of home entertainment.

Dempsey has been serving
as acting managing director since July, following the retirement of Chris
Weller. Reporting to John Smith, BBC Worldwide's chief executive, Dempsey will
oversee BBC Audiobooks, Audio & Music (comprising music licensing,
publishing and content development) and will be chairman of 2e, the DVD, music
and production business. He will also represent BBC Worldwide's interests in
its joint ventures with Random House (BBC Books) and Pearson Education (BBC
Active), taking a seat on the board of all joint ventures managed within the
home-entertainment business.

He joined BBC Worldwide in
1998 as U.K. sales director and became managing director of BBC Audiobooks in
2001. In 2007 he was given responsibility for BBC Worldwide's Audio & Music
business.

Smith said: "We had a
strong field of candidates but Paul's insight, experience and knowledge of the
fast-moving home entertainment market left us in no doubt that he was the right
person to lead one of Worldwide's largest divisions through an unprecedented
period of change. He's already one of the most well-respected leaders in the
company and he reinforced this at Board level during his caretaking period over
the past few months. I'm delighted to be able to welcome him to the
board."

Dempsey commented:
"I'm thrilled to have been given this opportunity to lead such a great set
of heartland BBC Worldwide businesses through one of the most challenging but
successful periods in their history. My focus will be on further developing the
profitability of these businesses as they shift from physical products to digital
platforms."

—By Kristin
Brzoznowski