Channel 4 names Priya Dogra as chief exec

Sky revenue boss Priya Dogra has been appointed the new chief executive officer of Channel 4.

Dogra is the eighth person to hold the title in the PSB’s 43-year history and the second woman, following her predecessor Alex Mahon, who resigned in April. She will join C4 in March next year, with interim chief exec Jonathan Allan continuing in the role until then.

Dogra is currently chief advertising, group data and new revenue officer at Sky, and oversees Sky Media, the broadcasting giant’s advertising sales house, its data and analytics capabilities and the development of non-subscription revenues.

As discussion around closer collaboration between UK broadcasters ramps up, Dogra has also shown her chops with her recent spearheading of Universal Ads, an initiative between Sky, ITV, C4 and Comcast’s FreeWheel, to create a self-serve trading platform that opens up TV advertising to small businesses.

Prior to her one-year stint at Sky, she spent 14 years at Warner Bros Discovery and its previous iterations of Time Warner/WarnerMedia, ultimately serving as president and managing director for WBD EMEA, with responsibility for programming and production, marketing, advertising, commercial partnerships across networks, streaming, theatrical distribution and content licensing.

During her time at WBD, she headed mergers and acquisitions and corporate strategy, overseeing major M&A and investment activity. She has also led local original series for HBO and HBO Max. Dogra began her career as an investment banker at Citi.

Other candidates understood to have been in the mix for the role were chief operating officer Allan, former BritBox boss Reemah Sakaan and Netflix EMEA exec Emma Lloyd.

The identity of Mahon’s successor has been the subject of intense industry speculation since April, and the search for her replacement kicked off in earnest when Geoff Cooper was installed as chair in September.

Dogra said it is a “genuine privilege” to be joining the PSB at this time.

“Few organisations sit so firmly at the heart of British culture or have such a clear purpose and vital mission: to challenge, to reflect and represent voices across the UK, and to spark change through entertainment,” she continued.

“I very much look forward to working with the brilliant team at Channel 4 and with partners across the creative industries to build on its distinctive and ground-breaking programming and reporting, accelerate its digital ambitions, and deepen its connection with audiences across every platform.”

Cooper said: “Priya is an outstanding executive, a visionary leader and has a formidable intellect. She has impressive experience in driving commercial growth and digital transformation, as well as building collaborative partnerships, alongside a track record of nurturing creative processes, delivering effective programming strategies and building content production capabilities.

“She also possesses a passion for Channel 4 and a deep understanding of its public service remit. Priya is ideally equipped to lead the business through its next chapter, and we are thrilled to welcome her aboard.”

Cooper also thanked Allan for his eight-month stewardship of the role, praising his “skill, insight and energy” as chief executive officer.

He added: “His steady hand on the tiller has helped Channel 4 move forward through the choppy market conditions in the last part of the year. The Channel 4 board is extremely grateful for his contribution.”