The British Broadcasting Corporation named Matt Brittin—a former Google executive with no television or journalism experience—as its next director-general.
The appointment to this high-profile role comes as the under-fire British broadcaster faces drastic shifts in the media landscape and a $10 billion (€8.6 billion) lawsuit brought by U.S. president Donald Trump.
Brittin, who for over a decade served as president of Google’s Europe, Middle East and Africa division—responsible for a third of the tech giant’s revenue—will officially take over the post on May 18th, 2026.
The decision has already “raised some eyebrows” across the industry. The Times described the appointment of a tech executive without direct media experience as a “significant shift,” while an unnamed senior media figure quoted by The Daily Telegraph called the move a “huge, huge risk.”
Despite the criticism, BBC Board Chairman Samir Shah defended the choice, stating:
Matt brings to the BBC deep experience of leading a high-profile and highly-complex organisation through transformation.
Brittin succeeds Tim Davie, who resigned in November following a scandal involving the editing of a documentary about Donald Trump. With Davie set to step down on April 2nd, the non-journalist Brittin enters what is widely considered one of the most important and challenging public posts in the UK, while already spouting the usual verbiage about “a rapidly changing media landscape.”
