Curran replaces the outgoing Ingrid Deltenre who has held the position since 2010.
He is best known for his radical restructuring of RTÉ as Director General and MD, following the financial crisis of 2008 and also as an investigative journalist and producer.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) is the world’s leading alliance of public service media (PSM). The EBU has 73 Members in 56 countries in Europe, and an additional 34 Associates in Asia, Africa and the Americas.
EBU Members operate almost 2,000 television and radio channels together with numerous online platforms. Together they reach audience of more than one billion people around the world, broadcasting in more than 120 languages.
Jean-Paul Philippot, President, EBU:
“[Curran was the] candidate of choice in what was an extremely strong list of candidates. He impressed us with his sound public service values, his operational experience and his understanding of the public service media ecosystem within today’s rapidly evolving media environment.”
Noel Curran, Director General, EBU:
“There is now, more than ever, a compelling case for what public service media does, and what the members of the EBU do, day in, day out. The EBU represents some of the finest media organisations, content-makers and journalists in the world. The position of DG is a huge honour and I will work with the membership to seize every opportunity and to move ahead with the changes necessary to secure the future of public service media.”