Christian Drobnyk has been appointed director of entertainment at UKTV.

Drobnyk joins the broadcaster, a joint venture between Virgin Media Television and BBC Worldwide, from TLC in the US, where he was senior vice president of programming and development.

He will report directly to UKTV controller Matthew Littleford and will, in conjunction with their respective channel heads, lead the editorial and commercial direction of Dave, UKTV Gold and UKTV Drama.

"I am absolutely delighted that Christian is joining the team," said Littleford. "His wealth of broadcasting experience combined with a proven track record in delivering huge audiences and brand repositioning means he’s just the man to lead our entertainment portfolio."

Drobnyk, who will take up the post in March, added: "I’m thrilled to cross the pond for such a tremendous opportunity. The diversity and breadth of UKTV’s channel brands combined with the BBC’s programme supply make it a media powerhouse. I look forward to joining the team as we unlock the full potential of the entertainment brands: UKTV Gold, Dave and UKTV Drama."

In a further indication that UKTV intends to build its portfolio of original commissions such as Christmas hit Morecambe & Wise: The Greatest Moment, it said that the appointment had been "welcomed" by indies.

Jamie Munro, commercial director and senior vice president of international production at Tiger Aspect, said: "It’s fantastic news for the UK broadcasting industry that Christian is coming over. I’ve known and pitched to Christian for nearly 10 years and it’s always been a positive experience. He really understands his channel audiences and this is reflected in the ratings success of TLC. He has a great understanding of the production process and gives good and intuitive notes. He gives quick "no’s" when pitching which is almost as important as a commission. He’s very talented and a great signing for UKTV."