BritBox President and CEO, Soumya Sriraman, to Exit Company
As a Result of Highly Successful Tenure, BritBox Marks 1.5 Million Subscribers
New York, NY – BBC Studios and ITV, joint venture partners in popular British content SVoD service BritBox, today announces Soumya Sriraman has decided to step down as BritBox President & CEO for U.S. and Canada, effective at the end of this month. New leadership for the service will be announced in the coming weeks.
Sriraman was a key architect in building and launching BritBox, which has seen significant success – marking 1.5 million subscribers to date. The service has exceeded all company targets and remains the fastest-growing targeted stand-alone SVOD service to have launched in the last three years[1] – distinguishing itself as the definitive home for the best of British television across all genres. Moreover, under her leadership, the success of the U.S and Canada service has served as the blueprint for BritBox’s global expansion.
Sriraman is responsible for commissioning and executive producing several shows for the service, including the very successful The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco with Rachel Stirling and Julie Graham, and There She Goes starring David Tennant and Jessica Hynes, who won a BAFTA Award for her role. Additionally, for the first time ever on a streaming platform, BritBox delivered the live telecast of Harry and Megan: The Royal Wedding to North American audiences.
In a joint executive statement, Rebecca Glashow, President, BBC Studios – Americas, and Martin Goswami, Group Strategic Partnership and Distribution Director, ITV, said, “Soumya is a trailblazer. Her experience, leadership, and thorough knowledge of British content has been the perfect fit for BritBox. We thank Soumya for her passion and commitment in leading the BritBox team and shaping the service into what it is today.”
“I have enjoyed writing every minute of the BritBox story – from imagining it six years ago to building and growing it! I am so proud of my team who has worked tirelessly to exceed all expectations. I am grateful to the leadership at the BBC and ITV for their stewardship on this journey and I now look forward to my next chapter,” said Sriraman.
Previously, Sriraman served as Executive Vice President of Franchise and Digital Enterprises at BBC Studios – Americas, where she expanded consumer-facing activities for key BBC brands including Doctor Who and BBC Earth. Prior to joining BBC Studios, Sriraman was President and CEO of Palisades Tartan, a premier independent film brand, where she spearheaded several Academy Award®-nominated and winning films, relaunched the Tartan brand, and expanded its distribution footprint globally. Sriraman has been named among Home Media Magazine’s “40 Under 40 Executives,” and has held positions at Warner Brothers and Universal Studios. In 2019, both Multichannel News and Broadcast Magazine recognized Soumya Sriraman as a “Wonder Woman in Streaming” for her contributions to the industry.
[1] Parks Associates OTT Market Tracker Q3 2020
About BBC Studios
BBC Studios, a global content company with bold British creativity at its heart, is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC. Able to take an idea seamlessly from thought to screen and beyond, its activities span content financing, development, production, sales, branded services, and ancillaries across both its own productions, and programs and formats made by high-quality UK independents. Award-winning British programs made by the business are internationally recognized across a broad range of genres and specialisms, with brands like Dancing with the Stars/Strictly Come Dancing, Top Gear, Doctor Who and Bluey. BBC Studios has offices in 22 markets globally, including ten production bases in the UK and production bases or partnerships in a further nine countries around the world. The company, which ordinarily makes around 2,500 hours of content a year for both the BBC and third parties including Apple, Amazon and China Mobile, is a champion for British creativity around the world. It is also a committed partner for the UK’s independent sector through a mix of equity partnerships, content investment and international distribution for program titles. To the BBC, BBC Studios contributes both cash dividends and funds for program-making, supporting the license fee and enhancing programs for UK audiences.
In the Americas, BBC Studios manages joint venture relationships with AMC Networks for flagship channel BBC AMERICA (U.S.) – home of original series Killing Eve and global brands Seven Worlds: One Planet, Doctor Who, and Top Gear – and with ITV for SVoD service BritBox (U.S./Canada), as well as strategic partnerships in Canada with Blue Ant Media for BBC Earth Channel and Corus for BBC Canada. The company also operates a robust linear and digital content sales and co-productions operation, as well as a franchise management business. In addition BBC Studios operates two production units with team members across the regions. The primary unit in Los Angeles is responsible for ratings juggernaut and Emmy®-nominated Dancing with the Stars and multi-award-winning Life Below Zero. In Brazil, through a production partnership with Endemol Shine, local productions Dancing Brasil and Bake Off Brasil have become breakout hits.
About ITV
ITV operates the largest family of free-to-air commercial channels in the UK, and delivers content through linear television broadcasting and on demand via the ITV Hub.
ITV’s family of channels consists of ITV main channel, which is the largest commercial channel in the UK, ITV2 and ITV3 – the two largest digital channels in the UK, ITV4, ITVBe, and CITV.
ITV’s terrestrial and free-to-air digital channels provide targeted demographics for advertisers, such as 16–34s, ABC1s, Men, and Housepersons with Children, and consist of ITV, ITV2 and ITV3 (the two largest digital channels in the UK), ITV4, ITVBe, and CITV. ITV2 is the most watched digital channel for 16-34s and 16-24s.
About BritBox
BritBox is a digital video subscription service offering the largest collection of British TV in the U.S. and Canada. Created by two British content powerhouses—BBC Studios, the subsidiary arm of the BBC, and ITV, the UK’s biggest commercial broadcaster—the service features iconic favorites, exclusive premieres, and current series and soaps—most available within 24 hours after their UK premiere. BritBox also offers expert curation and playlists that enable fans to easily find programs they know and discover new favorites via the web, mobile, tablet and connected TVs.
Press Contacts:
Christine Black
BBC Studios – Americas
christine.black@bbc.com
Justin Jeffreys
ITV
justin.jeffreys@itv.com
[1] Parks Associates OTT Market Tracker Q3 2020