MUMBAI: BBC has announced the appointment of Ralph Rivera as director, digital media, future media and technology.
Reporting to BBC Future Media and Technology director Erik Huggers, Rivera will take responsibility for the delivery of all the BBC‘s digital media products on the web, mobile devices and internet-connected TV platforms, working in partnership with the BBC‘s editorial divisions (Vision, Audio & Music, Journalism and North). He starts at the BBC on 8 November.
Huggers says, "The BBC is loved by the public for its high quality programmes and services. Our duty is to innovate and give audiences access to public service media at a time and place that suits them.
"Technology is transforming our lives and we are only just beginning to understand the enormous creative possibilities open to us – digital media will completely reshape how we inform, educate and entertain in the internet age.
"Our ambition is to fuse high-quality editorial, cutting-edge technology and intuitive design to create great products and services. Throughout his career, Ralph has a proven track record in creating digital media products that are used by millions of people. I‘m delighted that he has chosen to continue this journey at the BBC."
Rivera joins the BBC from Major League Gaming in New York, where he was responsible for product development for the professional video game league.
Prior to that, he ran AOL‘s Games and Latino businesses, oversaw the expansion of AOL‘s international web presence and launched the social gaming platform games.com. Before his time at AOL, Rivera worked for publishing company Pearson Education, Simon and Schuster, Deloitte and Touche and IBM.
He said: "The BBC is held in incredibly high regard in the US. There is no other organisation in the world that has the sheer quality of content, heritage in engineering, and will to harness innovation for the benefit of the wider public. The BBC iPlayer has already transformed TV on the web, but that‘s just a hint of what‘s possible. I can‘t wait to get started."
