Robert Schildhouse has been promoted to the expanded role of President of BritBox North America, and General Manager of BritBox International based in New York.
His appointment comes just weeks after BBC Studios paid £255M to buy ITV's 50% stake in the streamer to assume full control. As part of the deal, it was announced that current BritBox CEO International Reemah Sakaan would be exiting.
Schildhouse most recently served as General Manager, North America, and Group Editorial for BritBox International, driving the streaming service’s business growth in the US and Canada, while leading its global content and editorial organisation. As part of his expanded role, Schildhouse will assume responsibility for product/technology and marketing, in addition to editorial.
Before joining BritBox in 2022, Schildhouse was part of the launch team at Hulu and then worked in leadership roles at CBS.
Kerry Ball will continue in her role as Chief Commercial & Strategy Officer at BritBox International, based in London.
Schildhouse and Ball will now both report to Rebecca Glashow, CEO, BBC Global Media & Streaming.
“Robert’s commitment, creativity and passion for the business make him the optimal leader to drive the continued success of BritBox and I’m looking forward to working with him,” said Glashow. “With Robert’s deep understanding of the streaming landscape, combined with our world-class leadership team and staff, BritBox is poised for an exciting next phase of growth in the BBC portfolio.”
“I am thrilled to take on this expanded role at such a pivotal moment for BritBox International. We have had an incredible year of growth and are uniquely positioned to solidify our standing as the premier destination for delivering quality British content to our loyal and expanding subscriber base,” said Schildhouse. “Great stories can come from anywhere, and we remain committed to curating premium content from the deep and varied creative community across the UK, including ITV, independent producers and from within BBC Studios.”
Launched by BBC Studios and ITV in 2017, BritBox International offers British content in eight countries - the USA, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Shows on the platform include Archie, Death in Paradise, Father Brown, Line of Duty, Sherwood and Shetland. It has over 3.75 million subscribers.
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