ITV's Zai Bennett Named Controller Of BBC3
Wozza20
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The BBC has poached ITV's director of digital channels and acquisitions Zai Bennett to become the new controller of BBC Three. (from digital spy)
Zai Bennett, the ITV digital channels boss behind The Only Way is Essex and Katie Price’s reality shows, has been named the new controller of BBC3. (from BroadcastNow)
Obviously the BBC think the head of ITV2 is the man for the job, and good luck to him. I personally think he did an excellent job with ITV2-ITV4.
I wonder what the pro-BBC people on here are going to think about this, especially those who knock ITV2 as a poor channel yet defend BBC3 all the time.
It will also be interesting to see what those on these forums who knock ITV for poaching staff from the BBC will make of this too?
Discuss...
Zai Bennett, the ITV digital channels boss behind The Only Way is Essex and Katie Price’s reality shows, has been named the new controller of BBC3. (from BroadcastNow)
Obviously the BBC think the head of ITV2 is the man for the job, and good luck to him. I personally think he did an excellent job with ITV2-ITV4.
I wonder what the pro-BBC people on here are going to think about this, especially those who knock ITV2 as a poor channel yet defend BBC3 all the time.
It will also be interesting to see what those on these forums who knock ITV for poaching staff from the BBC will make of this too?
Discuss...
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Comments
So in answer to your question, at ITV 2, Zai Bennett had a remit to increase ratings and make money, quality of the show was not important, he has for the most part achieved that, with high ratings for some very low quality programs
At BBC 3 his remit will be about creating shows with some PSB value, whilst not something he has done alot of at ITV 2, there is nothing to suggest he is incapable of doing that.
A good channel controller, comissions for the channel, not him/her self.
It is a totally differnt job, a much harder job, and I hope he can raise his game, and improve BBC 3.
You do realise that, for example, BBC3 Controller Danny Cohen moved to BBC1? And that just because a controller works within a specific brief for one channel does not mean that he/she will work to the same brief for any future channels?
The question is, Is Zai Bennett the kind of man who can work to a BBC remit, as well as a commercail one.
Post edited to clarify
Just when you though BBC Three couldn't get any worse.
Please, somebody just axe it now and save the BBC from further embarrassment, more importantly, save the licence payer £120,000,000 of licence money for better use.
Loving how Broadcast reports the start of his career
also lets not forget, that he hasnt just been working on ITV 3 & ITV 4 as well, ok granted ITV 3 is little more work than Dave, but ITV 4 has been showing signs of improvement.
The point is, yes he comissions for ITV 2, but he also comissioned Ladies of Letters for ITV 3., so there is nothing to suggest that his skills are limited to ITV 2 type shows alone.
Yes because clearly the man will populate BBC Three with Jordan, Peter Andre and Judge Judy won't he...
Clearly he has no transferable skills whatsoever to bring to his new role has he. Probably the same reason ITV hired Norman and Crozier because its given up being a broadcaster and wants to sell tins of beans and deliver letters :rolleyes:
Why should they stop showing popular repeats? A controller is asn employee of an organisation. A bit like a person being made manager of Tesco's. They will have free reins to run the store as they see fit as long as it's within the rules, conditions of the way the company operates. The BBC own the rights to Family Guy not the controller. If the BBC wants repeats to continue, they'll continue.
I wonder if this is the first time that the words 'excellent' and 'ITV2' have been in the same sentence:D
Hence all the lightweight tat with wafer thin PSB veneer.
Sure Zai has plenty of that, but his career should not be defined by ITV 2 alone.
There was most likely a time when the BBC had people grow though the ranks, and likely those people had good clean PSB hearts, but with all the out sourcing, the BBC has to do, that ladder is not there anymore.
I recall reading the job ad for the BBC 3 Chairman role on Broadcast, it said the person must have extensive experience, where else can you find somoene like that? (that was the reason I didnt send in my CV
(Quotes above are from this DS article: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/broadcasting/news/a293611/zai-bennett-named-bbc-three-controller.html)
Seems to be doing quite well to me
mmm, you seem to have YET AGAIN MISSED many other more worthy programmes on BBC3.
Man, you seem to tune in a VERY SPECIFIC times........
Or, perhaps that should be put in a different way :
YOU DON'T TUNE IN AT ALL, JUST DISMISS A PROGRAMME FROM IT'S TITLE!:D
According to him BBC3 only do 3 shows!
SMA, Young fishmonger and 2 pints!:D
So what constitutes "these types"? Or do you simply mean executives that can produce the goods whilst working to a particular remit (i.e. are successful)?
But exploiting people is all they can do. Witness ITV2, pure exploitation of the viewer.
It's like getting a banker to determine social policy.
Thanks goodness for BBC3 and 4 then.
And you have not answered what constitutes "these types".
And he won't, you can bet on that!:)
Not exclusively, but I wondered what people like yourself who rubbish ITV2 and champion BBC3 would think?
Agreed.
I think he will excel at BBC3 with the budget he now has at his disposal. He has commissioned more original programmes, drama and comedy at ITV2 than the likes of Channel 5/Sky One who have a much higher budget available.
I don't think he needs to raise his game, I just think he needs to adjust it.
I predict he could do well for the channel which is already growing in stature.
I fully realise this, and actually believe Zai did a fantastic job within his previous remit, and showed glimpses of what he could do within the current remit he has at BBC3.
I am sure BBC3 would have loved to commission a drama such as Secret Diary of a Call Girl which Zai made at ITV2 on a shoestring budget.