Ex-BBC boss sorry over failed digital media scheme

Former BBC director general Mark Thompson says a failed digital media initiative at the broadcaster, which resulted in a loss of about £100m (about €120.5m), deteriorated under his watch.

“I want to apologise for the failure of this project,” Thompson said before a committee of members of the UK parliament yesterday. “It definitely failed. When I came to see you in 2011, I believed the project was in very good shape indeed.”

Thompson, who led the BBC for eight years and now serves as chief executive of New York Times Co, answered questions about the failed programme before Parliament yesterday. A report by the UK’s National Audit Office last week criticised BBC chiefs over the project, saying management “did not have a sufficient grip” on the initiative.