* Brittin to steer BBC through significant change, says

Chair Samir Shah

* BBC faces $10 billion lawsuit from Trump over

defamation claims

* Brittin to appoint deputy due to lack of editorial

experience

By Sam Tabahriti

LONDON, March 25 (Reuters) - The BBC named former Google

executive Matt Brittin as its new director general on

Wednesday, replacing Tim Davie who quit last year after a

misleading edit of a speech by U.S. President Donald Trump.

BBC Chair Samir Shah said it was "clear there is need for

radical reform" at the publicly funded broadcaster, and he and

the board believed Brittin to be the right person to steer the

change.

"The stakes for the BBC, and the future of public service

broadcasting, have never been higher," he added.

Aside from a $10 billion lawsuit from Trump, the BBC is

facing a battle to stay relevant as viewers, particularly

younger audiences, shift to streamers and other digital

platforms.

Trump accuses it of defamation over how the BBC spliced

together footage of parts of a speech he gave on January 6,

2021, before his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.

The broadcaster has argued the lawsuit should be dismissed,

saying Trump's subsequent reelection showed the alleged

defamation did not harm his reputation.

MOMENT OF RISK AND OPPORTUNITY

Brittin, 57, joined Google in 2007 as head of UK and Ireland

before rising through the ranks to become EMEA president in

2014. He announced in 2024 that he would step down the following

year.

"This is a moment of real risk, yet also real opportunity.

The BBC needs the pace and energy to be both where stories are,

and where audiences are," Brittin, who will take on the new role

from May 18, said in a statement.

"To build on the reach, trust and creative strengths today,

confront challenges with courage, and thrive as a public service

fit for the future. I can't wait to start this work," he added.

Brittin's role combines chief executive and editor-in-chief,

giving him responsibility for creative, editorial and

operational leadership. The BBC said he would appoint a deputy

director general.

The job comes with intense political scrutiny, with the BBC

subject to criticism from across the spectrum about its

impartiality, putting pressure on an institution long regarded

as one of Britain's most trusted and enduring cultural fixtures.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport said the BBC

played a vital role "in delivering trusted news and high-quality

programming for audiences across the UK."

"The appointment of a new director general is an important

moment for the future of the organisation and it is right that

this decision is made by the board independently," it said.

Brittin will also have to negotiate a new funding settlement

after the broadcaster's Royal Charter expires at the end of

2027. Options include retaining the licence fee paid by

TV-watching households or moving to subscriptions or ad-funding.