Apple TV+ Europe Boss Jay Hunt Named BFI Chair

Apple TV+ exec Jay Hunt has been confirmed as the next chair of the British Film Institute (BFI).

Hunt, who has commissioned the likes of Slow Horses, Bad Sisters, and Tiny World at the streamer, joins the BFI for a term of four years commencing 16 February 2024 at the appointment of the UK’s Culture, Media & Sport (CMS) department.

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The role takes around two part-time days of work per month and, like former BFI chair Tim Richards, CEO of Vue, Hunt could continue working for Apple.

Hunt – who is the only UK TV commissioner to have run three channels (BBC One, Channel 4, Channel 5) – has been overseeing Apple TV+’s commissioning in Europe for nearly six years. After a slow start, she has nurtured a string of hits including the likes of Gary Oldman-starrer Slow Horses and Sharon Horgan’s Bad Sisters. She is well respected and introduced a wave of hits during her Channel 4 stint, including Gogglebox, while she also led the negotiations that saw The Great British Bake Off move over from the BBC. She is a TV veteran but has little film experience and would join the BFI at a difficult time for the local indie sector.

“The BFI plays such a vital role in supporting great British storytellers and I’m delighted I’ll be chairing the organisation at such an exciting and challenging time,” said Hunt. “I’m passionate about the quality and range of film and TV we produce in the UK and look forward to championing it on the world stage.”

Ben Roberts, BFI Chief Executive added: “I’m thrilled that Jay has been appointed Chair of the BFI. As a BFI Governor, Jay has been a passionate advocate for both the BFI and the UK film sector. With her incredible breadth of experience in leadership across broadcasting and global streaming, she steps into this role with a very rare combination of an innate understanding of the power and potential of what public service organisations can deliver as well as being acutely commercial. I’m really looking forward to working with her and am confident she will take us boldly into the future, holding us to our commitments in Screen Culture 2033 to transform access to our programmes, screen culture and jobs across the UK.”

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