BBC Studios appoints director of digital content

BBC Studios has promoted Anna Cronin to director of digital content.

The producer-distributor has assigned the former digital commissioner for brands to the new role within its Content Partnerships division.

Cronin – who will report directly into BBC Studios chief creative officer Mark Linsey – is to conceive of a global vision for BBC Studios in digital content across new formats and platforms.

In the new role, Cronin will work across all of BBC Studios’ future platforms, all genres, production, its ancillaries team and producers.

She is to identify new commercial and creative opportunities and drive innovation and change in digital-first content production.

Cronin will also spearhead BBC Studios’ hunt for digital talent and new IP to deliver against opportunities in the company’s multi-genre content pipeline.

She will work alongside digital and production teams across both BBC Studios Production in the UK and internationally, as well as the BBC Studios indie portfolio to source new types of premium storytelling.

Cronin joined BBC Studios in February 2017 to build new partnerships among global and digital customers, and manage the commissioning of content across new platforms.

Prior to that, she served as head of digital for Rocket Digital at Sir Elton John’s Rocket Pictures. Before that, she was head of digital for London Live, commissioning editor for Channel 4 and development associate for ITV.

Her appointment comes as BBC Studios continues to rejig its Content Partnerships team — a restructure that saw the departure of scripted portfolio director Liam Keelan. Linsey has been looking to hire a digital exec within the Content Partnerships team for some time.

Linsey said: “The future’s unknown, complicated and constantly changing – but also very exciting as technology continues to converge with TV and evolve our medium. BBC Studios is keen to partner with new, exciting talent who are on the cusp of something special – as well as delivering outstanding content for a breadth of partners and platforms. Anna’s role will be pivotal to this challenge as she helps lead our push into new content forms within BBC Studios more broadly, demonstrating our agility and dynamism.”

Cronin added: “Tech companies continue to invest in the content space as they reinvent entertainment and it’s critical that BBC Studios responds to this opportunity through innovation and experimentation. I’m excited by the challenge to future-proof our business and look forward to working with the teams to develop and deliver a bold and ambitious digital pipeline.”