Ex-Google boss confirmed as new BBC director general

 

Matt Brittin took "a mini gap year" upon leaving Google last year after 18 years working there (file photo) (Image: EPA)

Matt Brittin, a former executive at Google, has been named the new director general of the BBC. Tim Davie, who announced his resignation in November in response to controversy over how Panorama edited a speech by US President Donald Trump, will be replaced by the former president of Google's operations in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. BBC chairman Samir Shah said Brittin, who left Google in 2025 after 18 years, "brings to the BBC deep experience of leading a high-profile and highly-complex organisation through transformation".

READ MORE: BBC urges court to dismiss Trump Panorama lawsuit

 Brittin, 57, said he "can't wait to start this work", describing it as "a moment of real risk, yet also real opportunity".

 He stated that "a thriving BBC that works for everyone in a world that is complex, uncertain, and fast changing is what the UK needs." Setting out his agenda, he added: "The BBC needs the pace and energy to be both where stories are, and where audiences are.  To build on the reach, trust and creative strengths today, confront challenges with courage, and thrive as a public service fit for the future."

'Radical reform'

Shah called Brittin "an outstanding leader" with "the skills needed to navigate the organisation through the many changes taking place in the media market and in audience behaviours".

The chairman also praised Brittin's "passion for the BBC, his understanding of the challenges facing the organisation, his commitment to its independence and his determination to maintain the BBC's position as one of the country's greatest national assets".

 The new director general joins at "a critical time", as the government reviews the BBC's royal charter, Shah continued.

 "It is clear there is need for radical reform of the BBC, its funding model and the framework in which it operates.  The stakes for the BBC, and the future of public service broadcasting, have never been higher."

Brittin will replace outgoing BBC director general Tim Davie (Image: PA Media)

The BBC's top job is considered to be one of the most demanding in the British media.

 During Davie's tenure as the BBC's 17th director general, he was responsible for dealing with a series of scandals and crises at the corporation.

 Brittin's priorities will include handling a multi-billion dollar defamation lawsuit filed by the US president against the BBC.

 Trump is objecting to the way Panorama edited together two sections of a speech he gave on 6 January 2021, for which the BBC has apologised.

Last week the corporation urged a court to dismiss the lawsuit, saying the Panorama episode never aired in the US.

BBC at a crossroads

The new director general arrives at a crucial time for the BBC in other ways, too.

 He will continue negotiations with the government on the corporation's charter and the future of the licence fee and BBC funding.

 The current charter, which sets out the terms and purposes of the BBC's existence, will expire in 2027.

 Additionally, Brittin's appointment comes at a time when the BBC faces competition from tech giants in the digital media market. Google's parent company owns YouTube, with which the BBC recently announced a landmark deal to create tailor-made content.

Big tech background a bonus?

The BBC's media editor, Katie Razzall, recently wrote that people inside Google "have only good things to say about Brittin, as an inspirational leader and a great team player".

 Some have questioned the BBC's appointment of someone with a background in tech rather than public service or traditional editorial experience.

 But Razzall wrote: "He's been picked by the BBC Board for his insider knowledge of big tech.  There's an expectation he will drive the acceleration to digital, for example in news.  He'll also likely focus on transforming and innovating BBC iPlayer."

 Peter Barron, a former editor at BBC Newsnight who previously collaborated with Brittin at Google, stated that he is "highly motivated by a sense of public service." "He adores the BBC for its inventiveness and reliable news, but he is also very aware of its technological pioneering past. "He wants the BBC to thrive in a world where many of its biggest challenges are linked to technology, whether that's the power of the streamers, online misinformation, or simply how people want to consume content.

 "Given his experience and connections across the tech industry, and also the relationships he's forged with broadcasters, the news industry, regulators and governments, I think he's very well placed to meet the challenges."

Who is Matt Brittin?

Brittin (second left) was part of the rowing crew that won a bronze medal at the 1989 World Championships (Image: Intersports Image)

Born in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, Brittin received a degree from the University of Cambridge, while also rowing for them in the Boat Race three times.

 He also rowed for Great Britain and won a bronze medal at the 1989 World Rowing Championships.

 Brittin completed her master's degree at London Business School after graduating from Cambridge. She then held the positions of commercial director and director of strategy and digital at Trinity Mirror. He joined Google in 2007 and was promoted to vice-president for Northern and Central Europe in 2011. Two years later, he became director of UK operations. He became president of Google in Europe, the Middle East and Africa in 2014.

Brittin met Prince William in 2017, when the prince launched a national action plan to tackle cyberbullying (Image: Getty Images)

He took what he referred to as "a mini gap year" following his departure from Google last year.

"I've already grown a beard, bought a single sculling boat, and plan to learn scuba diving from my son when he qualifies as an instructor," he wrote on LinkedIn about how he has been spending his free time. He also joined the Guardian Media Group as a non-executive director last year, but he has since left that position. He was awarded the CBE in the King's New Year Honours in January 2026 for his contributions to technology and digital skills. On his relationship with TV, he told the Royal Television Society last year: "My experience of watching television and learning from television and its values shaped me more than so much else in my life.

 "Morecambe and Wise, Not The Nine O'Clock News, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, and Doctor Who in particular are favorites of mine. "The way science and technology were shown in those kinds of shows shaped so many people who work in technology."

Grilled over Google's tax

Brittin had to appear before Parliamentary committees as part of his previous job, and he had to answer tough questions about Google's tax payments in the UK.

He defended the company in robust exchanges with MPs in 2012 and 2013 about whether it paid sufficient tax.

 The row led to the introduction of the so-called Google Tax, and in 2016 the company agreed to pay £130m in back taxes in a deal that was hailed as a "victory" by the government, but was derided by critics.

 When Brittin made a second appearance in front of MPs in the same year and stated that he did not know how much he was paid, they were incredulous. He will face more grillings by Parliamentary committees in his new BBC role, something Davie has done numerous times during his tenure.

 He still has two months remaining in his gap year, and on May 18, he will start his new job. He will receive the same annual salary as his predecessor, £565,000, and one of his first responsibilities will be to appoint a deputy.

Source: BBC