DTG chief Nolan makes unexpected exit

Dermot Nolan, the director general of the Digital TV Group, has left the organisation just six months after taking up his post.

The DTG, the industry association for broadcasters and TV technology firms, declined to comment on the reasons for his unexpected departure.

"Unfortunately the director general is no longer with us," said a spokesman. Nolan, formerly a communications consultant, joined the organisation in December.

Chief operating officer Keith Wilkinson and technology director Simon Gauntlett will take over management for an interim period.

"The Digital TV Group has announced that Dermot Nolan has left DTG Council and his role of director general of the DTG with immediate effect," the group confirmed in a statement.

The DTG's lobbying efforts this year have been focused on asking Ofcom to lend or lease spectrum to the TV industry for terrestrial high definition channels, a proposal the regulator has rejected.

The organisation's other work includes overseeing the development of specifications for Freesat and Freeview and testing equipment for use with both the services.

Richard Lindsay-Davies, Nolan's predecessor and now commercial director at Freesat, was with the DTG for four years.