BBC Set to Name Unscripted Head Kate Phillips as New Content Chief (Report)

The BBC has reportedly found its new Chief Content Officer, considered the biggest job in British TV.

According to reports, Kate Phillips, the BBC’s current director on unscripted, is set to replace Charlotte Moore, who announced she was standing down earlier in the year to join Sony Pictures TV and “The Crown” producer Left Bank.

Broadcast were the first to reveal the news, reporting that the appointment would be formally announced imminently.

The role would see Phillips oversee all BBC TV Channels and BBC iPlayer, as well as all 10 national radio networks and for BBC Sounds, plus children’s and education content.

Phillips, who was appointed director of unscripted in May 2022 and has been responsible for commissioning hit shows such as “The Traitors,” had been considered among the frontrunners to take the job after Moore’s shock departure announcement in February.

Others reportedly in contention included BBC iPlayer and channels boss Dan McGolpin, Nat Geo executive vice president Tom McDonald and David Brindley, who serves as chief creative officer as production company Twofour.

While arguably the most prestigious job in British broadcasting, the role comes with many challenges, challenges that have only enlarged in recent years due to major cutbacks at the BBC in the wake of declining license fee funding, plus skyrocketing prices and a pull-back on co-productions from U.S studios and streamers.