ITV swipes Syco’s head of TV

UK broadcaster ITV has poached the head of television at Simon Cowell’s Syco TV as director of entertainment at its domestic in-house production studio.

Shu Greene was appointed to the newly created position at ITV Studios UK today, reporting to MD Denise O’Donoghue and ITV Studios overall MD Kevin Lygo.

The move marks a return home for Greene, who was head of development for the then ITV Productions unit prior to joining Syco at its inception eight years ago.

Syco – a joint venture between Cowell and Sony Music Entertainment – announced today it had promoted exec producer Nigel Hall to global head of TV, filling a gap left by Greene’s exit.

Greene has been executive producer of The X Factor on ITV1 in the UK for the last eight seasons, was exec producer of The X Factor USA on Fox Network and oversaw the debut of Red or Black?, a Syco-ITV copro.

During her previous tenure at ITV, she co-created and launched Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway and created Celebrities Under Pressure and Fight School for Sky1.

She will now lead the entertainment team at ITV Studios UK, to create and deliver entertainment programming for both ITV and non-ITV channels.

“Shu has been at the heart of making the X Factor and the Got Talent franchises the global success they are today,” said Lygo. “The creation of brand new entertainment formats for UK and international audiences is a crucial part of our strategy. Shu’s creative and production expertise will be an enormous asset.”

Greene added: “After almost a decade working alongside Simon Cowell, I felt this was the right moment to step into my own light. I intend to put my heart and soul into putting ITV Studios back where it belongs – at the very heart of Saturday night entertainment, and in doing so am determined we will create the next generation of ground-breaking shows.”