Five's Dawn Airey joins LoveFilm board

Five chairman and chief executive Dawn Airey has agreed to join the board of movie rental business LoveFilm as a non-executive director.

Airey, who was first appointed to lead Five in 2000, will now provide strategic counsel to the LoveFilm operation.

The subscription rental firm has recently been forging ahead with its new digital strategy, particularly in terms of capitalising on the emerging connected-TV space.

Dedicated versions of the LoveFilm TV and movie-streaming service have already been made available on IP-enabled TVs produced by Samsung and Sony.

"LoveFilm's business model has not only redefined the way people rent and watch movies in the home, its international growth and recent foray into streaming services delivered via both the PC and the TV shows that this is not a company that's prepared to stand still," said Airey.

"I'm thrilled to be joining the board of this entertainment industry innovator."

LoveFilm chairman Charles Gurassa added: "Dawn's finger is right on the pulse of the entertainment industry.

"LoveFilm has grown not only to become the leading European subscription-based film and TV rental business, but now the market leader in streaming directly to PCs and internet-enabled TVs.

"Dawn's counsel in the board room will be enormously helpful in driving LoveFilm forward in these exciting times."

Airey also sits on the board of the British Library and pan-European media operator RTL, which owns Five.

In 2008, she rejoined Five as the broadcaster's chief executive after a short stint at ITV as the firm's managing director of global content.