ITV Exec Will Return To The BBC

ITV’s commissioning executive Liam Keelan will return to the BBC as its new daytime controller.

Keelan will rejoin the BBC after just 18 months at ITV as controller of daytime.

He left his role as BBC One scheduler early last year, when he was hired by then newly arrived ITV director of television, Simon Shaps, as part of a revamped commissioning team at the commercial broadcaster.

The BBC daytime controller job fell vacant at the end of May, when Jay Hunt was recruited by Five as its new director of programmes (see Five Announces New Director Of Programmes).

Former BBC colleagues have said Keelan missed the security of the corporation. His intention to return was signalled earlier this year when he was a candidate for the BBC Three controller job, which was given to Danny Cohen, then head of E4 (see E4 Head Takes Control Of BBC Three).

By hiring Keelan, the BBC will be hoping to secure knowledge of ITV’s schedule plans for the next 12 months. ITV1’s autumn schedule is due to be announced later today, and the influence of new executive chairman, Michael Grade (see BBC Chairman Jumps Ship To ITV Top Job), should be fully felt with the latest influx of programming.

The BBC recently lost long-running Aussie soap Neighbours from its daytime schedule (see Five Takes Neighbours From BBC One For £300m). Residing on Five from 2008, the loss of the residents of Ramsay Street will leave a huge hole in BBC One’s daytime schedule.

At last year’s MGEITF, Shaps warned that ITV1 needed serious work on its scheduling (see MGEITF 2006: ITV1 Rebalances Schedule After Summer To Forget).

Earlier this year, Grade bemoaned ITV’s lack of innovation as the broadcaster announced a decline in full-year pre-tax profits from £311 million to £288 million.

In a financial statement, Grade said: “There is a lack of innovation in our programming, partly resulting from a fear of ratings failure and the punitive consequences that follow under the Contract Rights Renewal (CRR) remedy.”

ITV’s turnover for the year to 31 December 2006 was £2.18 billion, compared to £2.19 billion in 2005, whilst the broadcaster’s total revenue for the year was £2.18 million compared to 2.19 million in 2005 (see Grade Says ITV Lacks Innovation As Profits Decline).

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