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The BBC has hired one of Microsoft's top TV men to head up its video on-demand (VoD) division and develop iPlayer going forward.
Daniel Danker worked on Mediaroom and Zune while at Microsoft and is now general manager of programmes and on-demand (POD) at the BBC, where he will work closely with the broadcaster's vision plus audio and music divisions, according to Digital Spy.
Danker will reportedly be in charge of developing iPlayer and making sure the BBC's online TV and radio offering stays one step ahead of its competition.
The new role is believed to be part of the BBC director of future media and technology (FM&T) Erik Huggers' reshuffle of the FM&T team, after Anthony Rose left to join Project Canvas as its chief tech officer.
"The BBC iPlayer has transformed the way people interact with media in the UK. The BBC is uniquely positioned to drive the next wave of change through its roles in content creation and distribution. We will focus on the innovations that become possible when content production and consumer experience evolve together," Danker reportedly said.
The BBC has only just announced its redesigned iPlayer (which has been running in beta for a couple of months) has gone live, putting social networking at the forefront of its attempt to make the service more user friendly.