After months of speculation about who is going for the ITV chief executive chalice, I mean job, a shortlist has emerged. And funnily enough some of the more ludicrous suggestions that were thrown into the mix, such as Shine's Elisabeth Murdoch, aren't on it.
Instead there is a retailer who is apparently a member of the Magic Circle (obvious potential hilarity for lazy journalists there should he get the job), Sky's former head Tony Ball, the internal candidate John Cresswell, the French head of Apple and the Belgian former chief executive of ProSiebenSat 1. Alas, the smooth Rupert Howell didn't make it beyond the group stages.
It's a surprising list - quite what the chief executive of HMV knows about telly is unclear and although he may have helped improve HMV's fortunes on the high street, the challenge for ITV is rather more complex. The fact that two foreign media experts are on the list suggests that ITV knows that it's medium- to long-term future now lies as part of a European media conglomerate and will be touted around the continent, which I find rather depressing.
That's why I hope that Tony Ball, an aggressive, competitive leader, gets the job. Be nice to have a Brit running the company even if it just shows that ITV's board thinks that there is a future for it as an independent British-owned broadcaster.
