BBC Studios Bolsters US Digital News Team, Jennie Baird Named EVP

Jennie Baird

BBC Studios today announced a number of new roles aimed at further bolstering its digital news team in the U.S.

News Corp. SVP and Global Head of Product Jennie Baird takes on the newly created position of EVP and MD of digital news and streaming. During her tenure at News Corp., Baird was responsible for developing digital solutions for the company’s range of media companies, including Dow Jones, News UK, News Corp Australia, New York Post, Storyful, Realtor.com, Foxtel and HarperCollins Publishers.

In her new role, she will lead on the development of the vision and investment plans needed to continue driving growth and audiences for the BBC’s digital news products around the globe. Baird will also assume responsibility for the BBC’s recently launched documentary and podcast services — BBC Select and BBC Podcasts.

She will report to Rebecca Glashow, president, BBC Studios Americas, who is responsible for developing and commercializing the BBC’s digital news portfolio outside of the U.K. The offering consists of the international BBC News app and BBC.com — the BBC’s global news, sport and features site, which reaches 139 million unique browsers each month.

Glashow said: “Jennie is a digital heavyweight in the constantly evolving news media landscape. As record audiences turn to the BBC for news they can trust, the creation of this role and her appointment reflect our ambitions to further reinforce our global news team and double down on our commitment to providing a world-leading digital offering.”

In addition, the BBC has announced plans to double its digital journalism team in the U.S. and Canada — a move that reflects the increased appetite for its content in the North American market. The new roles, it says, are designed to “further enhance the BBC’s ability to cover major breaking news from the region, providing a global perspective on its biggest stories.”

According to the latest Global Audience Measure figures, BBC News now reaches 456 million people around the world each week.  Digital reach grew by 23% year on year and the US is the BBC’s second biggest non-U.K. market, with almost 50 million Americans using its services each week. In Canada, almost 9 million people (28%) turn to it on a weekly basis.