ITV Consumer picks partnership head

ITV Consumer has promoted Ann Cook, controller of interactive, to partnership director for the division. Cook will report directly to director of ITV Consumer Jeff Henry.

She will be responsible for building revenues and strengthening relationships between the division and the rest of ITV as well as external companies.

ITV Consumer was established in 2005 to exploit new media channels. Its businesses includes the Friends Reunited website, which ITV bought in December 2005 for £120m, ITV Mobile and ITV interactive. It also runs the ITV Play quiz channels.

Cook will continue to manage the existing itv.com site for the first quarter this year and will work in tandem with ITV Broadband managing director Annelies van den Belt ahead of the broadcaster’s relaunch of its website. She will also continue to lead and manage the interactive businesses.

Cook previously worked at Granada Sky Broadcasting as marketing director but left in 2002. The joint venture, which handled airtime sales for channels including Men & Motors, was later disbanded. It was launched in 1997 as part of a number of joint ventures between Granada and BSkyB.

Van den Belt joined the company earlier this month from Telegraph Media Group (MW January 4).

ITV’s web service will offer simulcasts, previews and catch-up programming within a 30-day window, with the majority of content free to view. The site will also offer 1,000 hours of content from the archives when it launches in March.

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