BritBox International Names New Leader Following BBC Studios Takeover

BritBox International has its new leader following BBC Studios’ takeover of the streamer.

Robert Schildhouse has been promoted to President of BritBox North America and General Manager of BritBox International following the deal, which saw the BBC’s commercial arm pay £255M ($325M) to buy ITV’s 50% stake in the best-of-British streamer and assume full control.

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As part of the deal, it was announced current BritBox International Reemah Sakaan would be exiting.

The New York-based Schildhouse is upped from GM of BritBox North America and Group Editorial for BritBox International, leading the operation in the U.S. and Canada and global content and editorial. In his new role, he will also assume responsibility for product, technology and marketing.

Before joining BritBox, he held roles at CBS, where he struck content deals, and was part of the Hulu launch team.

Kerry Ball will remain as BritBox International’s Chief Commercial & Strategy Officer, based out of London. Schildhouse and Ball both now report into BBC Global Media & Streaming CEO Rebecca Glashow.

“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.”

Since launch in 2017, BritBox International has become a solid player in the niche International streaming market, offering UK shows from the BBC, ITV and others, and investing in original shows and co-productions such as the recent Agatha Christie show Murder is Easy. Its subscriber number, currently around 3.8 million globally, has risen 300% over the past hour year and BBC Studios says it is on course for a record year in 2024.

The UK version of BritBox is set to switch off in April, with its content subsumed into ITV’s streaming service, ITVX. This comes after ITV bought the BBC’s small shareholding in the business in March 2022.

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