BBC hires VoD expert from Microsoft

BBC gets VoD head
BBC gets VoD head

The BBC has announced it has hired a senior figure to head up its video on demand division, with Daniel Danker appointed as General Manager, Programmes & On-Demand (POD).

Danker comes from Microsoft where he worked on the company's IPTV platform Mediaroom and Zune, and has been put in charge of working closely with the BBC's 'audio and music' and 'vision' divisions.

"The BBC iPlayer has been a great success, and as video and audio-on-demand comes of age we want to stay ahead of our audiences' expectations by developing and delivering world-class products," said BBC Director of BBC Future Media & Technology Erik Huggers about the appointment.

"In Daniel, we've hired a great talent with a proven track record in product development, and I'm very happy to welcome him to the team."

Early evolution

Danker will also be in charge of developing the iPlayer and making sure search on BBC online is revamped.

"The BBC iPlayer has transformed the way people interact with media in the UK. We are still at an early stage in this evolution, however," explained Danker.

"The BBC is uniquely positioned to drive the next wave of change through its roles in content creation and distribution. We will focus on the innovations that become possible when content production and consumer experience evolve together. I am delighted to join the BBC at this very exciting time."

This week the BBC announced that its iPlayer refresh is now out of beta, bringing social-networking features to the VoD service.

Marc Chacksfield

Marc Chacksfield is the Editor In Chief, Shortlist.com at DC Thomson. He started out life as a movie writer for numerous (now defunct) magazines and soon found himself online - editing a gaggle of gadget sites, including TechRadar, Digital Camera World and Tom's Guide UK. At Shortlist you'll find him mostly writing about movies and tech, so no change there then.