Indeed, his background as a president of Google’s Europe, Middle East and Africa operations is the reason he has been given the job. As the former director general Mark Thompson, now chief executive and chair of CNN, said, Brittin’s appointment is “an advance payment on the future”. The BBC has just signed a landmark deal with YouTube, part of Brittin’s old parish at Google. The BBC will now have to accelerate its shift towards digital, focusing on BBC iPlayer, BBC Sounds and social media to attract younger viewers who prefer streaming over traditional television.