Highfield to head joint video-on-demand venture Kangaroo

Published Monday 14 April 2008 at 14:55 by Matthew Hemley

BBC director of future media and technology Ashley Highfield is to leave the Corporation to run Kangaroo, a new video-on-demand service that will be jointly owned by BBC Worldwide, ITV and Channel 4.

Highfield will head the commercial joint venture, taking over from Lesley Mackenzie, who has been managing the project as interim chief executive.

Kangaroo’s launch is subject to approval by the BBC Trust and each broadcaster’s board. When it is rolled out, it is expected to have more than 10,000 hours of archive material from the BBC, ITV and C4. The service will also offer a 30-day catch-up service and content from other licensed channels.

Highfield said: “This is a fantastic opportunity. Kangaroo is a historic partnership with a combination of innovative technology and terrific content and I’m looking forward to transforming the way audiences watch television.”

During his time at the Corporation, Highfield has overseen the launch of the BBC iPlayer, which has had more than 42 million requests to view programmes in the first three months of the year.

He has also been credited with increasing the popularity of the BBC’s website, which has an average of 20 million people visiting it a week.