BDB poaches BSkyB chief to promote digital set-top box

British Digital Broadcasting (BDB) has poached Matthew Seaman as its director of distribution marketing from satellite broadcaster BSkyB.

Seaman’s role will be to oversee the distribution of the digital set top boxes. Last month BDB awarded six licences to make the boxes to manufacturers Grundig, Sony, Toshiba, Pace, Nokia, and Philips.

Seaman will also negotiate with retailers such as Dixons and Comet to ensure they stock the set-top boxes, and will co-ordinate joint campaigns to promote the system to consumers.

His appointment comes two weeks after Marc Sands left Granada, where he was marketing director, to become BDB’s director of brand marketing. Both men report to executive director Anthony Sethill, who has a place on the company’s board.

Seaman, who begins his new job this week, was previously marketing controller for BSkyB. Towards the end of his four year stint at the network he was seconded to BIB – the interactive home shopping service jointly funded by BT, Sky, Midland Bank, and Japanese consumer electronics manufacturer Matsushita – to develop its retail marketing and distribution strategies. Before that, Seaman was a marketing manager at the Dixons Stores Group.

BDB will be a 15-channel subscription service on a digital terrestrial platform jointly owned by Granada and Carlton. It is expected to launch in November, with an advertising campaign in the autumn devised by Abbott Mead Vickers. BBDO.