Re Smith's replacement - I'd say that the Stars In Their Eyes decisions were more of an ITV decision and not Initial's (my guess is that ITV wanted Harry to host and the two agreed gave him creative control). Not to mention the fact that the SITE and BB are two completely different shows
Plus, as far as I'm aware, Big Brother is the only Endemol show in which the MD of Initial is also the showrunner. Nevertheless, I'm still optimistic - from what I've heard about Smith he was all about limiting the amount of Live Feed and heightening up the drama/negative atmosphere in the house (stir up the drama tasks, secret houses - basically the repetiveness of twists and drama that we've seen over the past two years). Any change at this point has to be more beneficial that Smith sticking around - a new set of eyes over the show will hopefully change it for the better.