Marco Bassetti, CEO of Banijay Group, announced the leadership team who will take on key roles at the company, reporting directly to him.

Media and Entertainment Giant Banijay Entertainment continues to shape its executive team, following the merger with All3Media.

In an internal memo to the staff, Marco Bassetti, CEO of Banijay Group, announced the leadership team who will take on key roles at the company.

“Now we are a few months on from the merger, I wanted to update you on how we are tracking with the integration. You will have no doubt seen several announcements of late confirming major leadership roles across the affected areas of the business, and at the time of signing, we outlined the roles Jeff Zucker (Chairman), Jane Turton (Deputy CEO) and I (CEO) would fulfil,” he began.

“Today, I am pleased to unveil Banijay Entertainment’s senior leadership team, reporting to me. Each will set, and with their dedicated teams, execute the global strategies for their respective areas,” he added.

The team will be made up as follows:

Fred Balmary, Chief Business Officer
Nicolas Chazarain, Chief Legal Officer
Thomas Gousset, Chief Finance Officer
Lucas Green, Chief Content Officer, Operations
Kate Humphreys, Chief Communications Officer
James Townley, Chief Content Officer, Development
Anne Van Sprang, Chief Human Resources Officer

“Since their appointments, this group has made a significant contribution to the business, with many playing an integral role in delivering the merger and advancing the current integration,” the CEO explained. “Jane, Fred, Nicolas, Thomas, Anne, and Cathy Payne (CEO, Banijay Rights) also join me on the executive team.”

Last week, Banijay revealed the team who will lead the distribution division, Banijay Rights, led by Cathy Payne.

La entrada Banijay Entertainment Sets Senior Leadership Team se publicó primero en TTV News.

The former Disney and Fox executive will take over as global content chief on October 26, overseeing Netflix’s global scripted and unscripted programming, films, live events and other content operations. Bajaria is leaving the company after nearly a decade.

Netflix has announced the appointment of Peter Rice as its new Chief Content Officer, effective October 26. He succeeds Bela Bajaria, who is leaving the streaming company after nearly ten years.

In his new role, Rice will lead Netflix’s global content organization, overseeing scripted and unscripted series, films, live events and other programming across all regions.

Rice brings extensive experience in the entertainment industry, having held senior leadership positions at Disney and Fox across television, film and content operations.

“I want to thank Bela for a decade of dedication, innovation, creativity and leadership,” said Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix.

“She led enormous changes at Netflix. She helped broaden our content offering to include the large-scale expansion of unscripted programming and the launches of live events and sports, in addition to crafting and running a world-class, global slate of films and series. I’m incredibly grateful for everything she’s done to help Netflix entertain the world.”

Sarandos also highlighted Rice’s experience managing large-scale entertainment operations and his longstanding relationships with creative talent.

“Peter is one of the most effective at-scale operators in the entertainment industry. His business acumen is sharp, his talent relationships are exceptionally strong, and his experience across TV and film is deep and broad,” he said.

“He understands what makes stories resonate, and he’s spent his career helping talent do the best work of their lives. I’m excited to welcome him to Netflix as Chief Content Officer as we continue to scale and deliver members more of the stories they love.”

Rice welcomed the appointment and acknowledged Netflix’s impact on the global entertainment business.

“Netflix has fundamentally changed the way stories are made, shared and experienced around the world,” he said.

“They’ve shown again and again that they’re willing to take chances on distinctive voices and fresh ideas, and I’m excited to work with the team to help bring even more great stories to members everywhere. I’m grateful to Bela for building such a remarkable global team, and I look forward to building on everything she and the team have created.”

Extensive Experience Across Disney and Fox

Rice most recently served as Chairman of Walt Disney Television and Chairman of General Entertainment at The Walt Disney Company.

In those positions, he oversaw a broad portfolio of businesses and brands, including ABC, Fox Broadcasting, Fox Sports, ABC News, ABC Studios, Disney Channel, Freeform, FX Networks, Hulu, National Geographic, Onyx Collective and Twentieth Century Fox Television.

His responsibilities included more than 300 programs and approximately 4,000 hours of television annually.

Titles produced or broadcast under his leadership included The Simpsons, American Idol, Modern Family, This Is Us, The Bear, Abbott Elementary, Shōgun and Only Murders in the Building.

Earlier in his career, Rice served as President of 21st Century Fox and CEO of Fox Networks Group, as well as Fox’s lead executive on Hulu’s board of directors.

He was also President of Fox Searchlight Pictures, overseeing releases including Slumdog Millionaire, Juno, Little Miss Sunshine and Sideways.

Rice will now take responsibility for Netflix’s global content strategy and operations as the streaming company continues to develop and distribute programming across international markets.

La entrada Netflix Names Peter Rice Chief Content Officer, Replacing Bela Bajaria se publicó primero en TTV News.

The executive announced his appointment on LinkedIn after an extensive career at Telemundo Deportes, where he led coverage of major events including the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games.

Netflix has appointed Eli Velázquez as Director of Live Sports for Latin America and the US Hispanic market, in another move underscoring the streaming platform’s strategy to expand its presence in live sports.

The executive announced his appointment on LinkedIn, where he expressed his enthusiasm for contributing to the growth of Netflix’s live sports offering. In his post, he also thanked the company’s team for its support during his time as a consultant.

Velázquez brings more than three decades of experience in the audiovisual industry, having spent much of his career at NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, where he worked for 25 years. In September 2024, the company officially announced his departure when it named Joaquín Duro as his successor to lead Telemundo Deportes.

During his tenure at the network, Velázquez rose to the position of Executive Vice President of Sports and oversaw coverage of major sporting events, including the FIFA World Cup, the Olympic Games, the NFL, the Premier League and Liga MX. He also played a central role in the network’s coverage of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Under his leadership, Telemundo became the first U.S. Spanish-language broadcast network to air the Super Bowl in 2022. He also helped drive the partnership with the US Soccer Federation that made Telemundo the exclusive Spanish-language home of the US national teams.

Before joining Telemundo, Velázquez worked at Univision, where he held various production roles. His experience spans team management, major live-event production and the development of sports content for Spanish-speaking audiences.

La entrada Netflix Appoints Eli Velázquez Director of Live Sports for Latin America and US Hispanic Markets se publicó primero en TTV News.

Just days after being appointed CEO of Banijay Latin America, the executive spoke to ttv at Mipcom about the region’s new autonomy following the merger with All3Media, opportunities beyond traditional television production, a co-development agreement with Globo, and why long-running entertainment formats continue to thrive.

*by Carolina Mussio and Ana Paula Carreira from Cannes, France.

Banijay Entertainment’s newly appointed Latin America CEO, Laurens Drillich, arrived at Mipcom 2026 with an expanded mandate and a new corporate structure behind him. Announced on October 5, his appointment followed the completion of the merger between Banijay Entertainment and All3Media in July, creating a combined international group headquartered in London.

Previously President of Endemol Shine Latino since 2016, Drillich now leads a dedicated regional division encompassing production operations in Mexico, Brazil, Colombia and the US Hispanic market. He reports directly to Banijay Entertainment CEO Marco Bassetti.

Speaking with ttv in Cannes, Drillich discussed what the new structure means for Latin America, the opportunities emerging from an expanded portfolio of companies and formats, and the changing appetite for original entertainment IP.

What changes for Banijay Latin America under your new role and the group’s new structure?

I’m now the CEO of Banijay Latin America. It’s not really a job I wasn’t doing before, but it is a new function. We have a new structure in place because of the merger with All3Media, and new priorities within the company. I’m now solely responsible for the region, within a company that is headquartered in London rather than Los Angeles.

We’re doing this because business in Latin America is doing really well. It has been growing, and this was the moment to say, “We are truly independent and as important as any European region or the US.” That’s essentially what happened with this promotion.

I was already focused on the region, so in that sense my work hasn’t changed completely. But I think we have more possibilities now. We have the All3Media formats, we have Little Dot Studios, which is a digital company, and there is real interest and enthusiasm within Banijay Group to see how we can grow further.

Where do you see the main opportunities for expanding the business?

If you look at where we are today, we produce in the US Hispanic market, Mexico, Brazil and Colombia. All the other countries, including Uruguay, where Gran Hermano is currently running, operate through licenses. Those are sold by Banijay Rights, which deals directly with local broadcasters or producers. My focus is production.

We’re essentially looking at where we can produce more. Endemol Shine Boomdog, which operates in the US Hispanic market, Mexico and Colombia, is already the biggest unscripted production company in that territory, and Endemol Shine Brasil is a really big unscripted company in Brazil.

That’s our starting point, but there are more possibilities. There’s YouTube, there’s digital content, there are films we’re making with A Fábrica in Rio de Janeiro, and there might be sports or live entertainment.

So we’re really looking, in the broadest possible sense, at what additional entertainment we can bring to the region.

With such an extensive catalogue across Banijay and All3Media, how much of the growth will come from adapting existing formats, and how much from developing original IP?

I think traditionally Latin America hasn’t been a region where there was a lot of original entertainment programming. There have been telenovelas, of course, lots of those, films, and sometimes locally developed entertainment within bigger shows. But there hasn’t been a locally created The Voice, Deal or No Deal or MasterChef, because clients haven’t really been looking for that. But that’s changing.

If you look at our business, of course, the biggest part is the catalogue. That’s why Gran Hermano is in Uruguay, why MasterChef is all over Latin America, and why The Traitors is going to be all over Latin America. That’s still the main part of our business. But you’re starting to see different things.

One is that we signed a co-development deal with Globo to create new content. They have that interest as well. They want to create things, to co-own IP that can travel around the world, and they’re giving us the opportunity to do that. So it is possible, and we’re working on it now.

And then you have the streamers. On the one hand, they do exactly the same thing: they adapt Physical: 100 or Love Is Blind, which we produce in Mexico and Brazil. But they also ask for original content. Suddenly, that’s a huge opportunity for local teams, because those are good budgets, these are platforms with a lot of marketing power, and sometimes they’re willing to take risks.

So I think original programming is going to grow a lot, but formats are still a bigger business.

Why do you think Banijay’s entertainment formats resonate so strongly across Latin America?

That’s a difficult question to answer, because they resonate around the world, of course. There’s something to the fact that this company has managed, through mergers, acquisitions and creation, to bring some of the biggest formats into its catalogue.

And I think we’re really good at adapting them. We’re very good at taking a show from one country and finding opportunities in other countries, making those small changes that make it feel local. A MasterChef needs to feel local in the Dominican Republic, but also in Brazil, Mexico or the UK. You keep the format, but make those changes so that the audience recognizes its own culture.

How do you keep long-running franchises such as Big Brother, Survivor and MasterChef relevant after so many years?

I think Banijay is very good at making formats feel current, even when they’re among the longest-running ones, like Survivor, MasterChef or Big Brother. The brands are constantly being renewed. What helps is that we produce in so many different countries.

Take Big Brother, for instance. Every year there’s a Big Brother exchange, usually in Holland, although it can take place anywhere in the world. Experienced Big Brother producers from all over the world come together in one place and spend two or three days talking about Big Brother. They show each other what they’ve been doing over the previous year: new twists they’ve introduced, how they’re using digital, what else they can do with live elements. Basically, anything they’ve done to adapt the show and keep it fresh.

We’re lucky because we can all benefit from that exchange. If the Mexican team attends and sees something that Israel has done, they can immediately go back and try it. It’s not one company or one team doing the work. It’s the whole world contributing. And I think that really helps keep the formats relevant.

Is the continued appeal of established IP also a commercial advantage?

There’s another thing, which has nothing to do with being creative: older IP works. Look around the world. Even in the US, brands that aren’t ours, like The Amazing Race or The Bachelor, are still around. We happen to have a lot of those established brands in our catalogue, and that helps.

What I’ve also noticed is that something like Deal or No Deal can disappear for a while and then come back again. Which is really funny, because then you don’t necessarily need a new one. It’s going to be very difficult to create a show as big as Deal or No Deal. So even if it goes away for a while, it can come back. You keep the essence of the brand, the core of the show, and then you add digital elements or social media.

How important is digital interactivity to that process of renewal?

We’re lucky that Big Brother, for instance, was an interactive show from the beginning. It was created in 1999 and first aired that same year, when everyone was talking about the internet. Obviously, it wasn’t the internet we know now, but the show already had that element of interactivity built into it.

So that makes it easier to keep evolving.

La entrada Laurens Drillich, Banijay Latin America: “Original Programming Is Going to Grow a Lot, but Formats Are Still a Bigger Business” se publicó primero en TTV News.

Agustín Marco del Pont, currently the Mexican operation’s Sales Director, will take over on January 1, 2027. Alexander will conclude his tenure on December 31, following a career spanning more than four decades in film distribution.

Philip Alexander will retire from his position as Vice President and General Manager of Sony Pictures Releasing Mexico on December 31, bringing to a close a 41-year career with the company and its film distribution operations. He will be succeeded by Agustín Marco del Pont, who will assume leadership of the Mexican operation on January 1, 2027.

Under Alexander’s leadership, Sony’s Mexican operation established itself as one of the company’s strongest contributors worldwide. His tenure also spanned significant changes in the distribution business and the evolution of the local theatrical market.

Before taking on responsibilities in Mexico, Alexander built his career at United International Pictures (UIP), holding positions across several European markets before joining Columbia Pictures. He subsequently led the Fox Columbia Pictures operation in Colombia, based in Bogotá, before taking the helm of Columbia Pictures Mexico.

Among the milestones of his career was the establishment and leadership of Buena Vista Columbia TriStar, a joint venture between Walt Disney Studios and Sony Pictures Releasing in Mexico that operated for 26 years. Throughout his career, Alexander was involved in the release of more than 2,000 international and Mexican films.

In reflecting on his departure, Alexander highlighted the collective effort behind the operation’s achievements and expressed his gratitude to the Sony and Disney teams, as well as the exhibitors and producers with whom he worked over the decades. He also voiced confidence in his successor’s ability to continue developing the business in Mexico.

Agustín Marco del Pont to take over in January

Marco del Pont steps into the role from his current position as Sales Director at Sony Pictures Releasing Mexico, where he has been involved in commercial strategy and relationships with exhibition partners. He joined the Mexican team nearly six years ago, having begun his professional career at UIP Argentina in 2009, with experience in sales and marketing.

The transition has been coordinated with Alexander to ensure operational continuity and maintain the company’s commercial relationships in one of Latin America’s key theatrical distribution markets.

The leadership change comes amid an ongoing transformation of the theatrical business, with release strategies, exhibitor partnerships and title positioning remaining central to the performance of major studios across the region.

La entrada Philip Alexander To Step Down as Head of Sony Pictures Releasing Mexico se publicó primero en TTV News.

The executive, who has led Warner Bros. Discovery’s international business since 2022, informed employees of his departure. His exit comes as the combined group reshapes its international operations following the merger.

Gerhard Zeiler is set to leave Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) following its integration with Skydance, bringing an end to nearly 15 years in leadership roles across the organization. The executive confirmed his departure in a message to employees, stating that he would leave the company at the end of the following week.

The move comes amid a broader restructuring of the combined group’s leadership as it reorganizes its international operations following the merger of Paramount and WBD. Kevin MacLellan, who oversaw Paramount’s international business and global content distribution, has also been confirmed to be leaving the company.

No permanent successor has yet been announced to lead the combined international business. JB Perrette, Skydance’s co-president and head of streaming and TV, oversees streaming and network operations outside the US, although the group has yet to outline the definitive management structure across its international markets.

Zeiler became president of international at WBD in 2022, following the combination of WarnerMedia and Discovery. Before that, he led WarnerMedia International and Turner International, overseeing television and entertainment operations across multiple markets.

He joined Turner in 2012 after serving as CEO of RTL Group. Throughout his career, Zeiler has been involved in major corporate transformations, international expansion and the adaptation of traditional television businesses to an increasingly streaming-driven market.

In his farewell message, the executive acknowledged the work of international teams during a period marked by strategic shifts and mounting demands across linear television, digital platforms and third-party content distribution.

His departure also comes as Zeiler considers a return to Austrian politics. He had expressed interest in competing for the leadership of Austria’s Social Democratic Party (SPÖ), before subsequently backing another candidate within the party.

Zeiler’s exit therefore marks a new chapter in both his professional career and the restructuring of one of the global entertainment industry’s major players, as Skydance continues to define the combined company’s international leadership and operating model.

La entrada Gerhard Zeiler to Leave WBD Following Skydance Integration se publicó primero en TTV News.

The executive will take charge of the film label as it expands its strategy to develop theatrical projects with digital creators. Ashley Brucks will transition to a producing role.

Sony Pictures Entertainment has appointed Fede Goldenberg as the new head of Screen Gems, its genre-focused film label, in a move aimed at strengthening the studio’s ties with a new generation of digital creators and bringing their stories to the big screen.

Goldenberg joins Sony from YouTube, where he spent 15 years and served as head of TV and film content partnerships from 2017. In his new role, he will report to Sanford Panitch, president of Sony Pictures’ Motion Picture Group, and will focus on expanding the studio’s talent pipeline through partnerships with creators who have already built established audiences across digital platforms.

The appointment comes as Screen Gems adopts a new creative direction that will maintain its focus on genre films while incorporating projects based on the ideas, narrative universes and communities developed by digital creators. The strategy aims to identify new intellectual property and develop productions for theatrical release.

“Some of the most exciting filmmakers and ideas are emerging from creators operating outside Hollywood’s traditional development channels,” Panitch said when announcing the appointment. He highlighted Goldenberg’s experience at the intersection of digital platforms and the entertainment industry as an asset in bringing those stories to the big screen.

Goldenberg has more than 20 years of experience across entertainment, technology and digital media. During his tenure at YouTube, he worked with studios and production companies to expand their presence on the platform and took part in initiatives related to the creator economy. These included the platform’s exclusive digital release of Iron Lung, a film associated with creator Markiplier.

Before joining YouTube, Goldenberg held executive positions at Globosat, Terra Networks Brasil and FremantleMedia Latin America, with responsibilities spanning content acquisition, distribution and development across the region.

He succeeds Ashley Brucks, who has led Screen Gems since 2023 and will remain with Sony Pictures as a producer on several films. The transition will allow the label to retain its expertise in genre filmmaking while broadening its search for projects and talent.

With the appointment, Sony Pictures is strengthening its efforts to connect the reach of digital creators with the traditional film business, as audiences built on online platforms become an additional avenue for identifying stories and emerging talent with commercial potential.

La entrada Fede Goldenberg Leaves YouTube to Lead Sony Pictures’ Screen Gems se publicó primero en TTV News.

The executive will conclude nearly 15 years with the company but will remain involved as an advisor on strategic projects related to entertainment and music events.

Ignacio “Nacho” Meyer will step down as president of TelevisaUnivision’s US Networks on October 15, concluding his tenure in the role he has held since September 2022. Following his departure from day-to-day management, Meyer will continue working with the company as an advisor on strategic initiatives, according to industry reports.

The transition comes after nearly 15 years at the organization, during which Meyer held various leadership positions across music, entertainment and television operations. TelevisaUnivision has not yet announced who will succeed him at the helm of its US Networks division.

In his current role, Meyer oversees the operations of Univision, UniMás and Galavisión, as well as sports network TUDN, the company’s local television stations and its radio and audio platforms in the United States.

His continued involvement as an advisor will focus on strategic entertainment projects, including the Latin Grammy Awards and Premios Juventud, as well as initiatives related to Gigantes con Don Francisco, according to industry reports.

Before becoming president of US Networks, Meyer led the company’s Music and Unscripted Entertainment division, overseeing Univision’s music strategy, entertainment content development, and the production of specials and live events.

During that period, he was involved in major properties such as Premio Lo Nuestro, Premios Juventud and the Latin Grammy Awards, while also developing partnerships with artists and record labels. His career at the company also included the development of Univision Live, its live events and experiences division.

Before joining Univision, Meyer served as CEO of Wireless Latin Entertainment, managing partner of Konexxion Enterprises and director of business development at the Latin Recording Academy.

His departure marks a new chapter for TelevisaUnivision’s US Networks operations, with the appointment of his successor still pending.

La entrada Nacho Meyer to Step Down as President of TelevisaUnivision’s US Networks se publicó primero en TTV News.