The former head of BBC Television and President of History Channel, Jana Bennett, has died at the age of 66.
Ms Bennett had been diagnosed with the brain tumour glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) in 2019.
She ran BBC Television from 2002 to 2010, then became president of BBC Worldwide and Global BBC iPlayer before joining A+E Network, where she took over the running of History and H2 in 2015. She left in May 2017 and established her own consultancy and production company, JebRoc Media.
“Jana Bennett was one of the most talented television producers of her generation and a formidable champion of public service broadcasting,” said BBC director-general Tim Davie in a statement. “She was a trailblazer who rose to the top of the industry, tirelessly championing upcoming talent, as well as having the foresight to bring together television and digital services. She was a brilliant and gifted colleague and is a big loss to the television industry.”
In addition to the BBC and A+E’s History Channel, Ms Bennett also enjoyed a spell as general manager of Discovery.