Crozier has no time for backslapping
PITY poor Simon Fox, chief executive of HMV, who turned down the top job at ITV in 2009. Despite being the frontrunner to lead the free-to-air broadcaster, he decided to stay on at the music retailer to implement his turnaround plan. Alas, it looks highly unlikely that the turnaround of ailing HMV will ever be completed. Instead, Fox could be soaking up the glory over at ITV.
That job falls to Adam Crozier instead, who was brought in by colleague and chum Archie Norman, the ITV chairman. But Crozier will have little time for backslapping following Wednesday’s strong numbers. He knows that the recovery in ITV’s fortunes is mainly cyclical – the broadcaster has benefited from a recovery in the TV advertising market.
The structural overhaul has yet to really begin. A new digital strategy and some kind of paywall are on the cards, as is a renewed focus on in-house production. Until we see more detail on these areas, Crozier’s good fortunes – like Fox’s travails – are mainly down to luck.