Groundbreaking BBC executive whose list of achievements included the launch of BBC Three, BBC Four and iPlayer
Jana Bennett, who has died aged 66 of brain cancer, was the first woman appointed as director of television at the BBC, and its first director of vision, with responsibility for the corporation’s entire output, across TV, online content and interactive technology.
Her transformative impact on British and, later, American television affected not just what we watch but how we watch it. Leading the transition into the digital and on-demand world, she oversaw the launch of BBC Three, BBC Four, CBeebies and CBBC as well as the groundbreaking iPlayer.