Variety: BBC Confirms Appointment of Kate Phillips as New Content Chief

Story from Variety:

The BBC has found its new Chief Content Officer, considered the biggest job in British TV.

Kate Phillips, the BBC’s director of unscripted, is set to replace Charlotte Moore, who announced she was standing down earlier in the year to join Sony Pictures TV and “The Crown” producer Left Bank. Phillips had served as interim chief content officer after Moore’s departure.

The BBC announced the news on Wednesday, saying that Director-General Tim Davie confirmed the appointment to staff following what was described as a “competitive recruitment process.”

“Kate’s passion for delivering world-class content to our all audiences shines through in everything she does,” said Davie. “Her experience with the BBC spans over 12 years and in that time she has brought innovation, outstanding creativity, and an absolute focus on our audiences. She has a fantastic record of delivering creative hits which embody the best of the BBC.”

The sees Phillips oversee all BBC TV Channels and BBC iPlayer, as well as all 10 national radio networks and for BBC Sounds, plus children’s and education content.

Phillips, who was appointed director of unscripted in May 2022 and has been responsible for commissioning hit shows such as “The Traitors,” “Strictly Come Dancing” and “Gladiators,” had been considered among the frontrunners to take the job after Moore’s shock departure announcement in February.

Others reportedly in contention included BBC iPlayer and channels boss Dan McGolpin, Nat Geo executive vice president Tom McDonald and David Brindley, who serves as chief creative officer as production company Twofour.

“Over the past few months, I have thoroughly enjoyed being more involved in the huge breadth of brilliant content that we produce across the U.K. and, of course, it’s been great getting to know so many new people,” said Phillips. “This is one of the best roles in the business at an incredible organisation and I can’t wait to get started.”

While arguably the most prestigious job in British broadcasting, the role comes with many challenges, challenges that have only heightened in recent years due to major cutbacks at the BBC in the wake of declining license fee funding, skyrocketing costs and a pull-back on co-productions from U.S studios and streamers.