U.K.'s Channel 5 Promotes Paul Dunthorne to COO Post

LONDON – U.K. broadcaster Channel 5 has upped former director of channels and operations Paul Dunthorne to be the company's chief operating officer.

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Channel 5 is owned and run by Richard Desmond's Northern & Shell.

The executive has an extensive operations resume in free and pay-TV and has been Channel 5's channels and operations director since January 2011.

But it the executive's current role as managing director of Northern & Shell's Portland TV which attracted media note.

In addition to running Primetime, the only U.K. PPV boxing channel outside of satellite broadcaster BSkyB's offerings and until this year the TV ad creator for in house publications including OK! and tabloids The Daily Star and The Express, Portland TV also operates adult channels including Gay Chat TV and Television X.

The Guardian billed Dunthorneas "the executive who runs Richard Desmond's adult channels including Red Hot TV".

The newspaper points to the fact that the executive will now take "responsibility for programs on Milkshake!, the three hour-plus block of children's programs the broadcaster airs every morning on the channel – whilst retaining his existing job."

The executive has an extensive operations resume in free and pay-TV and has been Channel 5's channels and operations director since January 2011.

Dunthorn has been  working on Channel 5 since Northern & Shell snapped up the U.K. broadcaster in a £100 million ($160 million) plus deal from Germany's RTL Group.