Flextech rejigs for BBC link-up
Cable distributor Flextech has reorganised its marketing department in advance of its joint venture with the BBC.
The BBC/Flextech company will launch four stations by the end of the year – labelled distribution neutral, which means they will be available to cable, satellite and digital operators.
The four stations are: comedy and drama channel Showcase, documentary channel Horizons, lifestyle channel Style, and arts channel Arena. These station names are working titles. Three more channels are planned for next summer.
Jessica Cox, marketing director of the Playboy Channel, becomes head of marketing for both Horizons and Arena.
Ian Riley, head of marketing for UK Gold, becomes head of marketing for a merged UK Gold/Showcase channel, as well as the Style channel.
Both will report to Flextech’s vice-president marketing Richard Burdett. He says: “With our key executives in place our priority is to build a marketing strategy for a successful launch later this year.”
As much as 200m of funding will come from Flextech’s US-based parent company Telecommunications Inc. The BBC will provide the back-catalogue programming, while Flextech will market and run the channels from day to day.
