BBC names ex-Google executive Matt Brittin its new director-general as it faces a feud with Trump

Former president of EMEA Business and Operations for Google, Matt Brittin is seen at the London headquarters of Google and YouTube in King's Cross, London, Thursday, Nov. 16, 2017. (Tolga Akmen/Pool Photo via AP, File)

LONDON — Former Google executive Matt Brittin was named as the BBC’s new director-general on Wednesday, taking the helm at the U.K.’s national broadcaster as it faces an uncertain future and a US$10 billion lawsuit from U.S. President Donald Trump.

Brittin, 57, who has a background in tech, rather than traditional broadcasting, spent almost two decades at Google, becoming the company’s president in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. He is also a former consultant at management consultancy McKinsey,

BBC Chairman Samir Shah said Brittin brings a “deep experience of leading a high-profile and highly complex organization through transformation” and arrives as the BBC faces “radical reform.”

Brittin said the 104-year-old BBC is “an extraordinary, uniquely British asset.”

“Now, more than ever, we need a thriving BBC that works for everyone in a complex, uncertain and fast changing world,” he said in a statement.

Brittin, who will start his new role on May 18, succeeds Tim Davie, who resigned in November over criticism of how the broadcaster edited a speech Trump made on Jan. 6, 2021, before some of the president’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.

A BBC documentary aired days before the 2024 presidential election spliced together three quotes from the speech into what appeared to be one quote in which Trump urged supporters to march with him and “fight like hell.”

Trump is suing the broadcaster for defamation in a Florida court, accusing the BBC of broadcasting a “false, defamatory, deceptive, disparaging, inflammatory, and malicious depiction” of him, and of “a brazen attempt to interfere in and influence” the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

Shah has apologized to Trump over the edited speech, admitting that it gave “the impression of a direct call for violent action.” But the BBC rejects claims it defamed him.

The BBC has asked the federal court in the Southern District of Florida to dismiss the suit, arguing that the case could have a “chilling effect” on robust reporting on public figures and events. It also says the case should be thrown out because the documentary was never aired in Florida or the U.S.

The broadcaster is also facing a once-a-decade process of renewing its governing charter, which sets out how much public money it will receive. The broadcaster is funded by an annual licence fee, currently set at 174.50 pounds ($230), paid by all U.K. households who watch live TV or any BBC content.

The licence fee has long had opponents, not least rival commercial broadcasters, and they have grown louder in an era of digital streaming when many people no longer have television sets or follow traditional TV schedules.

The centre-left Labour government says it will ensure the BBC has “sustainable and fair” funding but has not ruled out replacing the licence fee with another funding model.

Brittin said the BBC faces “a moment of real risk, yet also real opportunity.”

He added: “The BBC needs the pace and energy to be both where stories are, and where audiences are. To build on the reach, trust and creative strengths today, confront challenges with courage, and thrive as a public service fit for the future. I can’t wait to start this work.”

Founded in 1922 as a radio service, the BBC operates 15 U.K. national and regional TV channels, several international channels, 10 national radio stations, dozens of local radio stations, the globe-spanning World Service radio and copious digital output, including the iPlayer streaming service.

It broadcasts reams of sports and entertainment programming, including shows such as “Doctor Who,” “EastEnders,” “The Traitors” and “Strictly Come Dancing.”

But it’s the BBC’s news output that draws the most scrutiny. The broadcaster is bound by the terms of its charter to be impartial in its output and is frequently a political football, with conservatives seeing a leftist slant in its news programs and some liberals accusing it of having a conservative bias.

The BBC is seeking a new chief executive to lead its news and current affairs division after Deborah Turness quit alongside Davie in November.

Jill Lawless, The Associated Press