(16 April 2008 2:00 pm)

MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide, ITV and Channel 4 have appointed Ashley Highfield as CEO of Kangaroo, the working title for the new video on-demand service set to launch in the UK in 2008 which will be owned by the three broadcasters.

Ashley will head up the commercial three-way joint venture and will take over from Lesley Mackenzie, who has been managing the project as interim CEO.

As well as overseeing the roll-out of the new service, Ashley will lead negotiations with third party content owners and the future distribution of the service on other platforms.

Ashley joins the venture from the BBC where he was director, Future Media and Technology and was also a member of the BBC’s Executive Board on which he has been pivotal in transforming the BBC for the digital age.

During his tenure at the BBC he has overseen the launch of the BBC iPlayer, which has had over 42 million requests to view programmes in the first three months of the year.

Also under Ashley's leadership the popularity of bbc.co.uk has grown and is now ranked as the third most popular website in the UK with an average of 20 million people a week visiting the site.

BBC Worldwide CEO John Smith said, "I'm delighted we've appointed Ashley as the CEO of Kangaroo. His knowledge in the digital media field is world class and he'll bring tremendous strategic and operational expertise to successfully take the venture forward."

ITV executive chairman Michael Grade said, "Kangaroo will be an important shop window for UK broadcaster content and is another component of ITV's exciting online strategy. I am pleased we have appointed a CEO with Ashley’s experience and expertise."

Channel 4 CEO Andy Duncan said, "This is great news for Kangaroo and its founding partners. Ashley is one of the most influential players in digital media and emerging markets and the ideal CEO to drive this important and exciting project forward."

The joint venture's launch is subject to approval by the BBC Trust and each broadcaster's board.