Jamie Aitchison is to leave his role as Channel 4’s commissioning editor for sport at the end of 2014 after three years in the post.
Aitchison, who oversaw the terrestrial broadcaster’s BAFTA award-winning coverage of the London 2012 Paralympic Games, will join broadcast media agency Aurora Media Worldwide, taking up the newly created role of commercial and development director.
He will continue to work for Channel 4 until the end of 2014 before starting his new post in the New Year, with the broadcaster already beginning its search to find a replacement.
Working as Channel 4’s sports commissioning editor since 2011, Aitchison was responsible for delivering the broadcaster’s widely acclaimed coverage of the London 2012 Paralympics, which went on to win the ‘Sport and Live Event’ award at the 2013 BAFTA ceremony.
He also oversaw the as the arrival of the UK horse racing’s marquee events such as Grand National, Royal Ascot and The Derby to Channel 4 Racing in 2013, which was soon followed by the return of the NFL Super Bowl to the channel after a 15-year absence.
Commenting on his Channel 4 career, Aitchison said: “I’ve had a fantastic time at Channel 4 overseeing a series of unforgettable sports events – the Paralympics, securing the Grand National and Royal Ascot on the channel and the return of the Super Bowl to 4.
“I’ve worked alongside fantastic talent both in front and behind the screen and am now looking forward to my next challenge”.
A spokeswoman for Channel 4 added: “Jamie will remain in post at Channel 4 overseeing Channel 4 Racing and NFL until the end of 2014. A recruitment process is under way, overseen by Channel 4 Head of Live Events, Ed Havard, and an appointment will be announced in due course.”
Aitchison has more than 20 years experience in live sports production and he previously worked as a producer at ITV Sport, working on major sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup, Rugby World Cup and UEFA Champions League, and was also an executive producer at sports production firm Sunset +Vine.
He played a key role in the revamp of Channel 4’s horse racing coverage towards the end of 2012 and was instrumental in both the decisions to award the four-year production contract for Channel 4 Racing to IMG, as well as the signing of acclaimed presenter Clare Balding, who was brought on board to anchor the programme at the major festivals.
However, Aitchison was one of a number of executives who became embroiled in a legal battle in 2013 as axed Channel 4 presenter John McCririck decided to sue both Channel 4 and IMG, claiming age discrimination after he was told he would no longer feature on the Channel 4 presenting roster, but a tribunal ruled against McCririck and dismissed his £3m claim.
Channel 4 Racing’s new-look programme has come under firm scrutiny in terms of its style and viewer ratings since its relaunch in January 2013, but the broadcaster’s first two Grand National broadcasters have attracted peaks of well over eight million viewers.
More recently, Aitchison helped Channel 4 secure the rights to the Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, while one of the last acts in his post was to commission a special documentary about Frankel and Henry Cecil – ‘The Story of the World’s Greatest Racehorse’, which will air in 2015.
In his new position with Aurora Media, Aitchison will be responsible for building on the current portfolio of work at the broadcast media agency, which specialises in the production of live sports and factual programming, which currently includes the new Formula E electric car racing series, Goodwood Road & Racing Club, Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Guinness and British Airways.
Lawrence Duffy, managing director of Aurora Media, said: “We are delighted Jamie is joining us. We have enjoyed a very quick start to the business and Jamie’s experience and calibre will further strengthen our resource as the company enters its third year. I’m looking forward to us working together to deliver for our partners.”
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