Ian McDonough quits BBC Worldwide; joins Turner Broadcasting as a senior vice president.

Ian McDonough has quit BBC Worldwide for Turner Broadcasting.

Ian McDonough was the executive vice president for the Central Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEMA) region for exactly a year and still congratulated Joel Churcher last month on his appointment as BBC Worldwide's new general manager for Africa, based in Johannesburg, in a new appointment.

BBC Worldwide runs the channel set of BBC Entertainment, BBC Knowledge, BBC Lifestyle and CBeebies on MultiChoice's DStv pay-TV platform in South Africa and Africa.

Ian McDonough is now becoming Turner Broadcasting's new senior vice president and managing director for Norther Europe, and will report directly to Turner Broadcasting's Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) president, Giorgio Stock.

BREAKING. Joel Churcher is BBC Worldwide's new general manager for Africa in a newly created role to oversee BBC's commercial expansion.

In a very significant development for South Africa and Africa Joel Churcher will become the new country and continental manager for South Africa and Africa for BBC Worldwide from April.

Joel Churcher has been appointed as vice president and general manager for Africa at BBC Worldwide, following the announcement in November that BBC Worldwide is looking to appoint a person locally in South Africa to oversee BBC Worldwide's business expansion.

BBC Worldwide is responsible for a bouquet of pay-TV channels such as BBC Entertainment, BBC Lifestyle, BBC Knowledge and CBeebies on MultiChoice's DStv pay-TV platform.

Major changes are coming to this BBC Worldwide portfolio which will definitely have an impact on the South African and African market as well this year and in 2015, although those specific changes and the implementation are not clear yet.

The appointment of Joel Churcher is the second general manager appointment at BBC Worldwide inside the Central Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region in which South Africa falls.

Joel Churcher's appointment signals BBC Worldwide's importance of South Africa and the African continent as an earmarked growth region for television and pay-TV. Joel Churcher will be based in Johannesburg.

Fox International Channels (FIC) sent Alessesandro Tucci to Johannesburg as general manager for South Africa and Africa in 2011 to oversee FIC and FIC Africa's growing expansion locally.

Viacom International Media Networks Africa (VIMN Africa) which runs a number of channels from MTV Base to Comedy Central Africa, Nickelodeon and others is expanding its brands' presence from Johannesburg under senior vice president and director, Alex Okosi.

Joel Churcher has been account director for BBC Worldwide Channels across the EMEA region.

He will now be responsible from April for strategy and business development across all BBC Worldwide businesses in the region, and will oversee live events and the daily management of the BBC branded channels portfolio on DStv. He will be reporting directly to Ian McDonough, BBC Worldwide's executive president for the CEMA region.

"Joel is an outstanding executive who has a deep passion for our business in Africa," says Ian McDonough in a statement announcing the appointment. "He is the right person to build on the successful BBC business we have already established in Africa and take it to the next level".

"I am extremely excited about taking up this role," says Joel Churcher in the same statement. "Things are changing at a very fast pace in Africa, boasting 6 of the 10 fastest growing economies in the world. I am sure that working in such a fast paced and vibrant continent will be an incredible adventure".

"I am very much looking forward to leading and developing our footprint on the continent and working with new business partners in new markets," says Joel Churcher.

BREAKING. BBC Worldwide to appoint a South African country manager to directly oversee the BBC channels portfolio's African expansion.

BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, which runs a BBC channels portfolio on MultiChoice's DStv platform in South Africa and Africa, will appoint a country manager based in South Africa to directly oversee BBCWW's growth, expansion, investment and business relationships within South Africa and across the rest of the African continent.

BBC Worldwide's decision to appoint a specific person in a newly created position based in Johannesburg, South Africa, follows the recent "gold rush" the past two years of international television operators and international content providers and creators, opening offices, appointing dedicated ad sales agencies and dispatching official representatives living and working at the southern most end of the African continent.

From Discovery Networks International (DNI) to Fox International Channels Africa (FIC Africa), and several others, BBC Worldwide has now also succumbed to the lure of Africa's and South Africa's fast growing television and pay-television market, seeing and realising the huge potential and advantageous commercial opportunities to generate revenue within the local market.

BBC Worldwide runs channels such as BBC Entertainment, BBC Lifestyle, BBC Knowledge and CBeebies on DStv, with the Beep's global news channel BBC World News which was formerly neglected, now also getting a growing profile at BBC Worldwide press events.

"We have such confidence in the market that I'm happy to announce that we're going to be recruiting someone based here in Johannesburg to look after the whole African region," said Ian McDonough, the executive vice president of BBC Worldwide for the Central, Eastern, Middle East and Africa (CEMA) region today in Johannesburg.

Ian McDonough addressed ad buyers, TV critics, journalists, trade representatives and ad sales executives, and said BBC Worldwide's appointment of a local BBCWW executive for South Africa and Africa "is in line with our strategy to get even closer to the market - and closer to you."

"In the five years since we've launched the new portfolio of BBC channels in South Africa on DStv, our share has doubled in South Africa across the entire range of our channels. BBC Worldwide here in South Africa has fantastic stories to tell."

BBC Worldwide has had huge success as well as critical acclaim for its high quality Come Dine With Me South Africa series, and is looking to expand its slate of local South African TV content with a measured approach.

BREAKING. Downton Abbey's third season coming to BBC Entertainment from Sunday 11 August at 21:00.

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The third season of Downton Abbey will start on BBC Entertainment (DStv 120) on Sunday 11 August at 21:00 almost a year after it was shown in the United Kingdom.

The August starting date means it will almost be a year since the third season of Downton Abbey season was first shown in the United Kingdom where it started in September 2012 and eight months since January when it was shown in the United States.

The fourth season of Downton Abbey is already set to start in January in the United States.  BBC Worldwide will rerun the first two seasons on BBC Entertainment before the third season starts on the channel in August.

"Running the full first and second series to create a special Downton Weekend, culminating in the launch of series three means fans can get a major fix of great British drama series," says Ian McDonough, the executive vice-president for BBC Worldwide for the Central Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEMA) region.

Ian McDonough appointed as the new executive vice-president for the BBC's CEMA region.

Ian McDonough has been appointed from 2 April as the new executive vice-president for the BBC Worldwide's Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEMA) region.

BBC Worldwide runs the set of BBC TV channels on MultiChoice's DStv platform such as BBC Entertainment, BBC Knowledge, BBC Lifestyle and CBeebies.

"I am incredibly honoured to be asked to lead of of these regions especially one with the scale, diversity and potential that Central Europe, Middle East and Africa has," says Ian McDonough.

BREAKING. The second series of Come Dine with Me South Africa on BBC Entertainment is again an instant viewership hit on DStv.

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The ascendant BBC Entertainment (DStv 120) TV channel has even more reason to smile: the second season of Come Dine with Me South Africa which started on Monday night for a new 13 episodes is again a viewership success story.

From Downton Abbey to Come Dine with Me South Africa and The Only Way is Essex , BBC Entertainment since the latter part of 2011 has suddenly become that most rarest of TV channels: one that can proudly boast a sterling line-up of highbrow, high quality TV shows - but shows also getting ratings.

Flushed with productions that's both quality and viewership hits, the second series of Come Dine with Me South Africa is instantly delivering for the channel and BBC Worldwide Channels.

The second series of Come Dine with Me South Africa, an ITV format for BBC Worldwide Channels and produced by Rapid Blue, started on Monday night at 20:00. It immediately lifted BBC Entertainment's viewership in the timeslot with 64% on DStv compared to the previous two month's average.

The debut episode of the second series of Come Dine with Me South Africa Monday night pulled 160 000 viewers on DStv, doubling the audience share for DStv viewers between 16 and 50 compared to the previous three months.

Come Dine with Me South Africa is the very first - and highly successful - originally produced TV show from BBC Worldwide Channels in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. Not only did viewers love it, making BBC Entertainment the number one international TV channel on DStv in its timeslot during its run, but TV critics could find no fault at all.

BBC Worldwide Channels says the show is an example of the way in which BBC Worldwide Channels is committed to commissioning original programming targeting local TV markets as well as a gloval audience.

Come Dine with Me South Africa is the very first - and highly successful - originally produced TV show from BBC Worldwide Channels in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. Not only did viewers love it, making BBC Entertainment the number one international TV channel on DStv in its timeslot during its run, but TV critics could find no fault at all.

"Given the fantastic response to the first series we knew that it was going to be a hard act to follow, but we had faith in our production and the hugely entertaining contestants that have come forward to compete for the title of South Africa's ultimate dinner party host," says Ian McDonough, the senior vice president and general manager for the EMEA region for BBC Worldwide Channels.