BT’s TV boss Bushell to exit

UK telecoms giant BT’s head of television Delia Bushell is stepping down after three years.

Delia Bushell

Bushell, MD of BT TV and BT Sport, is leaving shortly after ensuring BT retained exclusive rights to show Champions League football live in the country until 2021, after again outbidding rival pay TV outfit Sky.

The exec joined BT after a 14-year stint with Sky and latterly Sky Italia, where she was chief commercial officer.

“This was a difficult decision as I am incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved over the past few years,” said Bushell.

“But with the successful renewal of our UEFA Champions and Europa League rights and the launch of our new, improved BT TV YouView service, I can now confidently hand over the baton to the excellent team around me.”

BT said Bushell will announce her future plans in the coming weeks and will stay with the company until the start of June to oversee a handover of her responsibilities.

“We will announce in due course our succession plan for the BT TV and BT Sport businesses,” added John Petter, CEO of BT Consumer.

Bushell’s departure means four of the UK’s main broadcasters are searching for new bosses, with execs at the top of Channel 4, STV and, most recently, ITV announcing their departure in recent months.