UKTV seeks out Abraham

New CEO comes from Discovery Network USA

By STEVE CLARKE

LONDON — UKTV, the pay-TV group owned jointly by the BBC and Virgin Media, has confirmed that Discovery U.S. topper David Abraham is to be its CEO.

Abraham, 43, joins UKTV from Discovery Networks USA, where he is executive vice president and general manager TLC and Discovery Home.

Malcolm Wall, CEO content at Virgin Media, said: "David has outstanding strategic and leadership skills.

"His strong relationship building ability, sense of purpose and direction, will be invaluable in this high profile role."

Darren Childs, managing director BBC Global Channels, BBC Worldwide, added: "David has proved himself on both sides of the Atlantic as a rare executive who can balance a commercial agenda, covering both traditional and future media, with editorial and brand excellence."

Abraham, who replaces British TV veteran Dick Emery who retired last year, starts his new job in mid-April.

With a background in advertising, Abraham is a former head of networks and marketing at Discovery Europe.