Lyle to head Fox new reality channel

After quitting FremantleMedia North America back in January, David Lyle has resurfaced at the helm of a new US cable channel dedicated to the reality TV genre.

As chief operating officer and general manager for the Fox Reality Channel, Lyle will oversee all programming, production, marketing and business operations for the new unscripted network. He will report to Tony Vinciquerra, president and ceo of Fox Networks Group.

The channel is set to premiere in more than 17m US cable homes in 2005. Lyle, who has previously worked at Nine Network in Australia, said the new channel “will provide more current reality favorites, more never-before-seen footage, and more new productions.”

Added Vinciquerra: “Fox Reality Channel is a natural complement to the studios, networks, programme libraries and international operations we have around the globe. David’s skills will prove a tremendous benefit to Fox Reality Channel as it establishes itself as a key destination within the unscripted world.”

Lyle exited FremantleMedia North America following Tom Gutteridge’s appointment as ceo earlier this year, and has since focused his efforts on the format protection body Frapa, where he is chairman, and his own outfit CreatTVworld.

Before FMNA, Lyle was worldwide head of acquisition and development at Pearson TV in London and prior to that head of acquisitions at Nine in Sydney. In a previous incarnation, he was an exploration geologist “before starting in the marginally more civilized world of local television,” he says.