ITV chief linked to Man Utd post

Manchester United Football Club is understood to be talking with new ITV marketing chief Jim Hytner about the job of commercial director at the Premiership club.

Hytner, who is known to be a long-standing Man United fan, has recently been confirmed as marketing and commercial director for the merged ITV plc (MW November 20). If Hytner were to accept the Man United job, it would mean him moving to Manchester, which industry insiders say is unlikely to happen. Man United director of marketing Peter Draper is understood to be another candidate for the commercial director’s post.

The football club announced that it would be recruiting a commercial director after chief executive Peter Kenyon defected to rival Premiership club Chelsea in September.

David Gill, who replaced Kenyon, made it clear at a presentation of the club’s results in September that there was still much to be done to convert Man United fans around the world into customers.

In September the club, which has recently been at the centre of takeover speculation, reported an 18 per cent increase in turnover to &£173m for the year to July 31 and a 22 per cent hike in pre-tax profits to &£39.3m.

Hytner joined ITV in 2001 from Channel 5, where he was marketing and communications director. Before that, he had worked at BSkyB as marketing director.