Bottom Line: Broadcaster is back on track but new boss faces fresh challenges
THERE were fears last month that with BT’s TV head Marc Watson making a snap departure, the company wouldn’t be prepared for the upcoming Premier League bidding process that Watson played a key role in leading in 2012.
The appointment of Delia Bushell should calm those worries. Bushell is highly regarded by her peers at Sky, who yesterday praised her work there – despite her decision to work for their biggest rival from July.
This impressive track record will now be put to the test by both BT TV, which languishes at just 950,000 customers more than eight years since it first launched, and BT Sport, a high stakes gamble to which BT has staked the future growth of its broadband business (sport is a loss-leader to boost BT’s broadband).
But lacking any prior experience in sports broadcasting, Bushell will certainly have a steep learning curve. Lets hope she’s up to the challenge.