James Murdoch to Deliver MacTaggart Lecture

EDINBURGH: James Murdoch, the chairman and chief executive of European and Asian operations at News Corporation, will deliver the MacTaggart Lecture at this year’s MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival, taking place August 28 to 30.

Murdoch will deliver his address on August 28 at 6:45 p.m. “I am honoured to have been invited to deliver the MacTaggart this year," he said in a statement. "Our industry is so clearly at a turning point that now is a good time to consider the right way forward for the industry, for regulators and, most importantly, for our customers.”

Elaine Bedell, 2009 MGEITF advisory chair and director of entertainment and comedy at ITV, noted: "He has a unique perspective on our industry, having worked across television, publishing and digital businesses worldwide, and he’ll be able to provide festival delegates with very welcome insights on a global media industry which is currently undergoing crisis and evolution.”

Previous MacTaggart speakers have included Rupert Murdoch, Michael Grade, Ted Turner, Greg Dyke, Mark Thompson and Peter Fincham.