Bob McCourt, chief operating officer of commercial and international at Fremantle, the production company behind Got Talent, is leaving the business at the end of July after 28 years. His departure, reported exclusively by Deadline, comes amid a restructure at the London-based company, and it is not yet known whether he will be replaced. His exit marks the loss of one of Fremantle's most senior and long-serving executives.

McCourt joined Pearson Television, an early forerunner of Fremantle, in 1998 in its finance department and rose through operations and finance roles, briefly serving as acting CEO of Fremantle International in 2013–14 before becoming COO of the international division under CEO Jens Richter, later taking on the commercial unit too. Richter praised his "affable, commercial and can-do approach". McCourt is the latest high-profile departure from Fremantle this year, following drama chief Christian Vesper and entertainment boss Andrew Llinares. Fremantle, owned by RTL, makes shows including The X Factor, Idols and The Piano, and scripted titles such as My Brilliant Friend, and earlier this year decided to stop fully financing feature films.