There was a great deal of quiet satisfaction across the British production sector when Jane Turton was named Chief Executive of All3Media back in February. The steely, 53-year-old Scot had triumphed over external candidates following a five-month, global search by its new US owners, hard-driving Discovery Communications and Liberty Global, who paid around £550m for this important producer.
Over-the-top hyperbole is usually de rigueur when it comes to unveiling big TV sports-rights deals. But, this summer, when Discovery Chief Executive David Zaslav declared his company’s €1.3bn, pan-European deal with the International Olympic Committee a “game changer”, it seemed more like an understatement.
The contract, which runs from 2018, caused many people’s jaws to drop – while others scratched their heads over its implications. It seemed like another blow to the BBC and its grip on the world’s greatest festival of sport.
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Drag racing, aerobatics, rally driving and land speed record attempts might seem like the perfect training ground for a would-be James Bond, but Luther star Idris Elba has denied that he will be taking that baton from Daniel Craig.
