BBC boss Charlotte Moore has quit her job to work for organisations which have created some of the biggest TV shows for streaming giants such as Netflix.
She will become CEO of Left Bank Pictures, who are best known for making The Crown for Netflix and are likely to deliver a highly lucrative prequel series based on the royal drama in the coming year.
Charlotte, 56, is leaving her role as Chief Content Officer and will have a second role at Sony Pictures Television, who own Left Bank.
The company also make huge shows for Netflix, including Cobra Kai and Outlander.
Speaking in a statement today, she said: “I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved during my time at the helm, transforming our offer and supporting iPlayer to become the fastest growing streamer in the UK.
She added: “So it’s been a tough decision to leave a job I love and an institution I believe in.”
Charlotte joined the Beeb in 2006 as a commissioning executive for documentaries before becoming controller of BBC One in 2013 and since 2020 has been a member of the BBC Board.
She is currently paid £470,000-474,999 but is expected to earn a great deal more working with such huge global organisations.
Hits commissioned during her time in charge included Happy Valley, Ghosts, The Traitors and Race Across the World.
In her time as a documentary commissioning editor.
She was responsible for one of the corporation’s biggest hits, The Great British Bake Off, which was eventually taken from the Beeb by Channel 4.
Tim Davie, BBC director-general, described her as “a creative powerhouse and real visionary who has made a huge impact during her time at the BBC”.
Charlotte, a huge supporter of public service broadcasting, has previously criticised the streamers.
She said the influence of the likes of Netflix meant that: “The television landscape is increasingly being defined by what will deliver the biggest profits for companies, not the best programmes for audiences.
In a speech in 2018 she warned that streamers were obsessed with using algorithms to work out what viewers wanted but the BBC were willing to take more risks to provide viewers with what they want.
Charlotte added: “Sure, audience data and algorithms are great and incredibly useful; we can learn so much from what’s working for audiences and what’s not, we can understand how to tailor our services.
“But I don’t believe any amount of data can tell you what to commission next.
“As the incentives of the biggest players become ever more commercial and cautious, ours need to become ever more creative and bold.
“As their focus becomes more global, ours must become more local.
“As their decisions are de-risked by data, we need to risk more to tell the stories that matter most.”
