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LONDON - BBC Chairman Michael Grade will leave the public broadcaster to become executive chairman of commercial rival ITV Plc, a source familiar with the matter has confirmed.
An official announcement would be made on Tuesday, the source said.
BBC news reported Grade's decision to leave the broadcaster. The BBC News website reported that Mr Grade would begin a three-year contract at ITV on January 1 2007.
The defection would lead to Grade taking control of troubled ITV, which has been without a boss since former chief executive Charles Allen said he would step down in August, the Daily Telegraph said.
A spokeswoman for the BBC and a spokesman for ITV declined to make an immediate comment on the news.
ITV already has a chairman, Peter Burt. It was unclear what would happen to his position.
The Financial Times reported last month that Burt had told friends he planned to stand down once a new chief executive had been appointed.
The search for a new chief executive by ITV, home to programmes such as "Coronation Street" and "X Factor", has been dogged by a string of possible candidates publicly ruling themselves out, prompting speculation and damaging headlines that filling the role could prove tough.
Grade, however, comes with a wealth of experience.
He was known for his emphasis on ratings when he ran publicly owned broadcaster Channel 4. He was appointed in April 2004 to the BBC for a four-year contract.
Earlier this month, ITV was again making headlines when pay-TV company BSkyB said it paid 940 million pounds for a 17.9 per cent stake in the broadcaster, after its rival, cable operator NTL Inc., said it was looking to combine the two companies.
Most analysts interpreted the move by BSkyB as designed to block NTL and others from making a bid.
- REUTERS
