The pattern can also be seen outside of Britains public service broadcasters.
Richard Watsham has been calling the shots at UKTV for more than a decade.
There is also a clear consensus that these jobs are hard to give up.
Ian Katz, Charlotte Moore, Ben Frow and Kevin LygoBBC/Paramount/Edinburgh TV Festival
Lets start with reasons to be cheerful.
Seasoned producers and commissioners who spoke with Deadline point to the talents of those at the top.
Frow was praised for consistently reinventing Channel 5 and being uniquely attuned to audience needs.
Ben FrowEdinburgh TV Festival
Moore frequently bewilders colleagues with how she deftly juggles huge volumes of competing priorities.
There was also agreement that familiarity has its advantages.
Now the causes for concern.
Put simply, there is a fear the industry has gone stale.
Both truths do nothing to calm anxiety about creative malaise.
We have got a model now where we are inhibiting big swings.
Two years into a job you’re able to spend 20M on a show that bombs.
Seven years into a tenure, that could be career-ending.
Others make the case for democratizing greenlight decisions.
Commissioners are certainly able to say no [to pitches] without any constraint.
What isnt clear is how they arrive at yes, a former ITV executive surmises.
As we enter 2025, the scent of change is in the air.
One thing seems certain, the record tenures of those at the top will take some beating.
