Ashley Highfield, BBC technologist
Position: 5 Last year: 8
Why? Launching the iPlayer
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Ashley Highfield remains a top 10 Agenda Setter for the fourth year in a row. He continues to drive forward the BBC's digital strategy through initiatives such as free on-demand TV programmes, available over the internet, and user-generated content.
While other broadcasters - perhaps Rupert Murdoch aside - struggle to adapt to the internet and the fast-changing media landscape, Highfield, as head of the Future Media and Technology unit, continues to drag the Beeb kicking and screaming into the digital age, exploring new ways of distributing content and improving the BBC's websites.
His most notable achievement this year is the long-awaited launch of the BBC's iPlayer, which allows viewers to download Beeb programmes up to seven days after transmission and then watch them for up to 30 days before being automatically deleted.
The iPlayer was not without controversy - it's still only available for Windows PCs and not Macs. But Highfield predicts it will have the same impact as the launch of colour TV in 1967. Not surprisingly, it has already got other broadcasters worried.
Another challenge for Highfield over the coming years is the BBC's digital archiving initiative. The Beeb owns more archive material than any other broadcaster in the world, but rights management and transferring that resource to digital formats will prove tricky.
But the BBC continues to break new ground and set the agenda for other broadcasters and media organisations in the exploitation of digital technology. Highfield is firmly at the heart of that.
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Content featuring Ashley Highfield
Since becoming director of the BBC's Future Media and Technology division in July 2008 following the departure of Ashley Highfield, former Microsoft-employee Erik Huggers has certainly made his mark. His main achievement so far has been to oversee...
Ashley Highfield has fallen from number seven in 2008's Agenda Setters list following his move from the Kangaroo online TV joint venture where he was CEO, to Microsoft UK as managing director and VP of consumer and online.
Erik Huggers became director of the BBC's Future Media and Technology (FM&T) division in July 2008, following the departure of Ashley Highfield who left to join the ill-fated Project Kangaroo. As well as overseeing the Beeb's digital content...
Speaking at The Intellect Annual Regent Conference 2009 in London, Ashley Highfield, previously BBC head of Future Media and Technology and now managing director and VP of consumer and online for Microsoft UK, said: "Internet viewing is still a...
The man largely responsible for the iPlayer's success, Ashley Highfield, left the BBC to head up Kangaroo in April, but left in November to become Microsoft UK's consumer and online managing director.iPlayer has caused some controversy in the ISP...
Ex-BBC director of future media and technology, Ashley Highfield, briefly headed the project as chief executive but left to join Microsoft in November. The future of Project Kangaroo, the proposed online TV-video joint venture between BBC Worldwide...
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