Dixon quits RTE for BBCWW

George Dixon has stepped down as channel controller at Irish broadcaster RTE, to take up a position at BBC Worldwide (BBCWW).

George Dixon

As global editorial director, Dixon will oversee the editorial voice of the UK pubcaster’s commercial arm, working with commissioning, acquisitions, compliance, brands and regional teams.

Dixon, who starts the role in April, will also lead the channel acquisitions team and ensure its content strategy complements that of original commissions.

He will report directly to BBCWW chief content officer Helen Jackson.

Dixon said in a statement: “Joining BBC Worldwide at such an exciting time was an opportunity that was impossible to turn down. I’ve always been passionate about the unrivalled creativity in which the BBC invests and this is a great moment to build our brands beyond the UK.”

Dixon landed at RTE last March following a two-year stint with UK broadcaster Channel 4. He was previously head of scheduling at BBC Vision for five years, leading a management team responsible for BBC1, BBC2, BBC3, BBC4, Daytime and HD. Last week, Dixon was in London speaking at C21’s Schedule Watch Live conference at Bafta.

As controller of RTE, he reported to MD Glen Killane and took responsibility for implementation of channel strategy across linear and digital platforms.

One of his biggest successes during his tenure was the latest series of Love/Hate, according to The Irish Independent, which broke the news today of Dixon’s departure.

His move to RTE last year was the latest in a string of departures of key UK-based TV execs to Ireland. Last January, Channel 5’s director of programmes Jeff Ford moved to become director of content at TV3 while deputy head of BBC Newsroom Kevin Bakhurst was hired as RTE’s MD of news and current affairs in July.

This story has been updated to include Dixon’s new role.