Explaining the move to a single entity in April 2018, the BBC said that at a time of an increasingly competitive and global market for production and distribution, the new organisational structure will bring the BBC into line with the rest of the industry.

BBC Worldwide’s range of commercial activities such as content financing, sales and commercial channels will be brought together with BBC Studios with a single business plan and combined operating model, performing its role more simply and efficiently. Moreover, the BBC says the new set-up will ensure that it is best placed to succeed both creatively and commercially and will better serve licence fee payers and be better placed to make the investments others in the TV will not in an ever-more competitive global TV market.

The new executives are Tom Fussell, Chief Financial Officer; Anna Mallett, Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director for Production; Martyn Freeman, General Counsel and Jabbar Sardar, HR Director.

CFO for BBC Worldwide since May 2016, Fussell will lead the combined BBC Studios finance function including budgeting, reporting, business support and financial controls. Mallett, currently COO for BBC Studios will be the COO for the new BBC Studios and will also hold the position of Managing Director (MD) for Production, while Freeman will take on the role of general counsel for the new BBC Studios.

Commenting on the appointments, Tim Davie, CEO, BBC Worldwide and CEO designate of the merged entity said: “[We] are delighted to put in place the first appointments for the new BBC Studios. Anna, Jabbar, Martyn and Tom are all proven executives who bring highly relevant experience for their future roles.”