ABC content chief Chris Oliver-Taylor to exit Aussie pubcaster after less than two years amid restructuring
Chris Oliver-Taylor, chief content officer (CCO) at Australian public broadcaster the ABC, is leaving after less than two years in the role.

Chris Oliver-Taylor
The former Netflix executive will exit on February 28, with head of screen content Jennifer Collins stepping into the new role of director of content from today and leading the content division until further notice.
The change comes ahead of the arrival of new managing director Hugh Marks, the former Nine Network exec who starts a five-year term at the ABC in March, replacing incumbent Dave Anderson.
Oliver-Taylor’s departure comes after the broadcaster signalled it would discontinue the CCO position after a decision in late 2024 to split the management of the ABC’s audio division.
Oliver-Taylor was appointed as the broadcaster’s first chief content officer, an ambitious role that was both operational and content-based, in March 2023.
Tasked with leading all content platforms across television, audio and digital, he was also tasked with radically transforming the broadcaster’s internal operations, shedding staff and re-focusing its content strategy to be more commercially driven and globally focused.
In an internal message to his content team, Oliver-Taylor said the time was now right “to part ways.”
“My role as CCO has changed so much since I started, and the ABC has changed. It’s not the role that I originally signed up for and I now want to go and do something else,” he said.
Oliver-Taylor said the changes to his responsibilities, with audio and some digital functions being taken out of his remit, had caused him to reflect on the ABC’s future needs.
“After discussions with the MD and reflecting on my ongoing conversations with the ABC board and the chair across many months, I believe this is a moment in time to allow the ABC to continue to reset its structure,” he said.
“I do it with some sadness, but also knowing I leave the ABC and the content division in as strong a place as I could. There have been tremendous challenges and on occasion it has been a hard two years; the responsibility the role brings does take a very real toll. But despite that, I have loved being back at the ABC. I have loved working with you all and I will always be a huge supporter and advocate for the ABC in my future endeavours.”
Anderson added: “Chris has been outstanding in his creative approach to supporting our content teams and delivering valued programmes for our audiences. He took on a very challenging role, one that required someone with his experience and ability, and led our content teams through this period of change and growth.”
Under Oliver-Taylor, the ABC’s revamped content slate featured more than 150 commissioned shows. The success of new programming, such as legal comedy Fisk, and many children’s titles helped bolster the ABC’s audience reach, with its iview service growing by over 20% since 2023.
He oversaw the relaunch of the multichannel strategy at the group, which since 2023 has been the leading broadcast VoD provider, apart from during the Olympics.
Oliver-Taylor said he leaves the broadcaster noting that it has a “renewed sense of purpose” set out by chair Kim Williams. He also commended incoming MD Marks: “Hugh is someone for whom I have huge respect, and I think the ABC will again evolve and change as it must. I have no doubt the ABC will continue to flourish under Hugh’s leadership.”
Industry sources suggest that Marks, the former CEO of commercial broadcaster Nine, will be setting a new operational and content agenda, under William’s guidance, which will include further restructuring.