Apple has hired former Channel 4 creative chief Jay Hunt to head a new programme commissioning team in London. The appointment is part of a $1 billion a year push by the tech giant into original content production to compete with the likes of Netflix and Amazon,

Hunt, who is due to start the new role in January, will bring a wealth of British TV experience to the venture, having held senior commissioning roles at Channel 4, Channel 5 and the BBC, as controller of BBC One. At Channel 4 she backed a number of unscripted hits including Gogglebox and the comedy show the Last Leg. She also led the charge in Channel 4 acquiring the rights the BBC’s top-rated show The Great British Bake Off. Apple will give Hunt complete freedom to buy both drama and unscripted programming.

Channel 4 has yet to appoint a successor to Hunt, who left the company in June of this year. She reportedly also held talks with Netflix before opting to join Apple.

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