Ministers line up Apple TV exec Jay Hunt as new BFI chair | Business News

The Apple TV+ creative chief who was previously the controller of BBC One is being lined up as the next head of the British Film Institute (BFI).

Sky News has learned that Jay Hunt is the frontrunner among three candidates vying to succeed Tim Richards as the BFI’s next president.

Her appointment, which is subject to the approval of Lucy Frazer, the culture secretary, could be ratified in the next few weeks, according to insiders.

Ms Hunt, who is the only person to have led the creative output of BBC One, Channel 4 and Channel 5, became a BFI governor in 2020.

She joined Apple TV+ in 2017 as part of the technology behemoth’s push into the global television market.

If confirmed, her term as chair of the BFI would begin in the spring.

Mr Richards, the founder and boss of cinema chain Vue, took on the role in 2021, having already served for a number of years on its board.

The BFI plays a critical role in the British film industry, one of the country’s most prominent global cultural exports.

It hands out millions of pounds in grants annually to independent cinemas and boasts one of the most important film and TV archives in the world.

A spokesman for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport declined to comment.