Scott Taunton

Scott Taunton is EVP, President of Broadcasting, News UK, and is responsible for their broadcasting businesses, including TalkTV, talkSPORT, Virgin Radio and Times Radio. He is focused on driving connected audiences and new digital revenues from audio, video, CTV and linear platforms.

Scott led the launch of TalkTV in April 2022, as a new voice in news, current affairs and opinion. TalkTV broadcasts across a range of linear and streaming platforms, as well as across social platforms, on the talk.tv website and via the app. TalkTV’s straight-talking schedule includes Piers Morgan, Jeremy Kyle, Tom Newton Dunn, Sharon Osbourne, Mike Graham, Julia Hartley-Brewer and Trisha Goddard.

Scott has led their national radio brands through a period of rapid digital growth characterised by innovation and investment in talent and sports rights. His signing of Chris Evans and Graham Norton to Virgin Radio UK Breakfast Show delivered innovative industry-first ad break-free partnerships with Sky and Waitrose. talkSPORT reaches three million listeners weekly and the latest Premier League rights partnership means the network will deliver must-listen coverage across over 450 live games in the upcoming season.

In June 2020 Scott oversaw the successful launch of Times Radio, which delivered strong debut RAJAR listening figures, finding a highly affluent and influential audience through broadcasters like Aasmah Mir, Stig Abell, Matt Chorley, Mariella Frostrup and John Pienaar.

Scott also oversees a number of market-leading Irish stations, alongside a rapidly expanding digital audio and podcasting arm - which includes the award-winning Stories of their times - and digital businesses Simply Zesty and Tibus.

Scott has had a long career in the media industry across radio, television and digital media. He was general manager of DNA Internet until March 2000, when the company was acquired by Northern Ireland-based broadcaster UTV Media. He became chief executive officer of UTV Radio and was appointed to the board of UTV Media plc following the acquisition of Wireless in 2005 by UTV. Wireless was acquired by News UK in 2016.

Scott was awarded a Radio Academy Fellowship in 2014.