Keelan snubs Sky for BBCWW

BBC daytime controller Liam Keelan, who was due to take up a new spot at paycaster BSkyB, has performed an abrupt about-face and is heading to BBC Worldwide instead.

Liam Keelan

Keelan was named director of Sky1 in December but has now been handed the newly created job of global editorial director at BBCWW.

He will oversee the editorial direction of BBC Knowledge, BBC Entertainment, CBeebies and BBC Lifestyle and shape the editorial vision for new channel brands, according to the UK pubcaster’s commercial arm.

Keelan will also work with BBCWW genre directors and brand teams on creative partnerships with the BBC’s in-house studios and independent producers – a function in which it lost a pair of execs last year.

Having shunned Sky, Keelan will now report to BBCWW chief content officer Helen Jackson.

“This is a job I’ve always wanted to do,” said Keelan of his new position. “The opportunity to take part in extending the BBC brand – with its suite of channels across the globe – is too exciting to pass up.”

BBCWW has seen a string of senior execs leave in recent months but acting CEO Paul Dempsey told C21 recently that though other jobs would go, there was no ‘mass exodus’ taking place at the company.