BritBox appoints ITV SVOD chief Reemah Sakaan to become international CEO

BBC Studios (BBCS) and ITV have appointed the latter’s group director of SVOD Reemah Sakaan as international CEO for joint venture streamer BritBox.

Sakaan, who was responsible for the launch of BritBox in the UK and is also currently chief brand & creative officer at BritBox Global, will start in April and will be tasked with expanding the streamer’s operations outside of its domestic market.

Her team will include around 100 content, customer management and business execs, including Moira Hogan, country manager for Australia, and Emily Powers, who replaced Amazon-bound Soumya Srirarman last year as EVP and head of BritBox North America.

BritBox, which operates outside of the UK as a 50/50 JV between BBCS and ITV, recently revealed plans to launch in South Africa later this year, following news that it was exploring the possibility of expanding the service into up to 25 new countries.

The SVOD first launched in North America in March 2017 and announced it had surpassed 1.5 million subscribers in October 2020, with an Australian roll-out in November. BritBox’s UK service – in which ITV holds a 90% stake, with BBCS holding the remainder – launched in November 2019.

Carolyn McCall, ITV CEO, said: “BritBox is now firmly established as a global premium brand in a rapidly growing sector. I am confident that under Reemah’s leadership BritBox will continue to grow in our existing countries and successfully expand worldwide.”

Tim Davie, director general of the BBC, added: “This is an important moment for BritBox and its ambitions to become a truly global brand. We know international audiences are turning to the service for great British television and with Reemah heading up the next phase of growth I am confident we will see further success.”

Sakaan said she was looking forward to “our next exciting phase of growth in existing markets and to put BritBox and the best of British creativity on the map in many more.”