Simon Murray, an influential figure in the global TV industry, passed away at the age of 64. Known for his expertise in advertising, publishing, and TV, Murray’s career spanned over three decades.
Murray started his career at Zenith/Saatchi & Saatchi in the late 1980s as a researcher working on Zenith’s advertising forecasts. These were highly influential in the industry and set the tone for his future work. After that, he held research roles at Kagan World Media and Baskerville Communications, publishers of newsletters on global TV business trends.
Following Informa’s acquisition of Baskerville Communications, Murray moved into senior roles within Informa’s TV publications and research division. There he managed large teams and provided valuable intelligence to clients as the Principal Analyst. During his time with Informa, he worked on numerous reports and publications such as TV International, Film Finance, New Media Markets, and Television Business International.
After leaving Informa, Murray started his own company called Digital TV Research where he used his industry knowledge to work with clients across various media sectors. He produced many market reports and data sets that were highly valuable to his clients.
Murray’s passing was announced by his wife Kathy on Facebook in a heartfelt post that expressed her grief and shock at her husband’s sudden death. Many colleagues and friends also shared their condolences online, remembering him fondly as a smart and insightful industry figure who was also kind-hearted and fun to be around. They noted how much he had impacted their careers positively during their time together in the industry.
Despite being hospitalized at Northwick Park Hospital in London with hopes of a full recovery last week, Murray tragically passed away from a heart attack at age 64. He is survived by Kathy along with their three children: Sean (32), Conor (29), and Maeve (27).
