Soumya Sriraman has been appointed as president for North America of the soon-to-launch SVOD service BritBox, a joint venture between BBC Worldwide and ITV.
Sriraman was most recently executive VP of franchise and digital enterprises at BBC Worldwide North America. Her successor will be announced in the coming weeks.
BritBox will launch in Q1 2017. Sriraman will be responsible for the overall strategy and operation of the SVOD, with a focus on bringing the best British content to the service through acquisitions, licensing, co-productions and key partnerships.
“Soumya has an outstanding historical knowledge and familiarity with British content. This, coupled with her creativity and excellent business acumen makes her the ideal executive to fill this role,” said Ann Sarnoff, the president of BBC Worldwide North America. “I am confident that Soumya is going to make this service a success, as she has done in all her endeavors for the last five years at BBC Worldwide North America.”
Simon Pitts, ITV’s managing director of online, pay TV and interactive, said, “BritBox is a very exciting development for fans of British TV and a natural next step in ITV’s growth as a global production and distribution business. I’m delighted that we have someone with Soumya’s knowledge, experience and passion for British content spearheading the service as we prepare for the U.S. launch.”
“I have personally waited a long time for a service with an offering like this—one with a breadth and depth of compelling content from powerful content producers like the BBC and ITV—all in one place,” commented Sriraman. “It is a great privilege to lead this team and bring this service to American audiences.”
