Ashley Highfield, the BBC’s head of online, is leaving the corporation to become chief executive at the planned on-demand service from BBC Worldwide, Channel 4 and ITV, codenamed Kangaroo.
Highfield, director of future media and technology and a member of the BBC executive board, is to take over at Kangaroo from interim chief executive Leslie MacKenzie.
It is expected that revenue for Kangaroo will come from advertising and from consumers, who will pay to rent or permanently download some content, while other content will be free.
Michael Grade, ITV executive chairman, said: “Kangaroo will be an important shop window for UK broadcaster content and is another component of ITV’s exciting online strategy. I am pleased we have appointed a CEO with Ashley’s experience and expertise.”
Andy Duncan, chief executive of Channel 4, said: “This is great news for Kangaroo and its founding partners. Ashley is one of the most influential players in digital media and emerging markets and the ideal CEO to drive this important and exciting project forward.”
Highfield joined the BBC in 2000. Prior to that he was managing director of Flextech Interactive, the new media arm of Flextech TV. After Flextech merged with Telewest, he took over responsibility for Telewest’s broadband content service Blueyonder.
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