BritBox signs former Kudos boss

BritBox has appointed ex-Kudos chief executive Diederick Santer as its inaugural international chief creative officer.

Santer will join the ITV and BBC Studios-backed streamer in September, overseeing all aspects of programming for all markets outside of the UK.

He will also become part of the international leadership team, working under Reemah Sakaan, who was appointed BritBox International’s inaugural chief executive earlier this year.

Santer will help build production and distribution relationships within the UK creative sector to secure a future pipeline of shows to accelerate BritBox’s international growth in the SVoD world.

Broadcast revealed earlier this year that the service was expanding to South Africa, the first of a planned 25-country rollout. It has since launched in Australia and already operates in North America.

Santer has more than 25 years’ experience, having kicked off his career at ITV in 1996, moving to the BBC four years later to exec produce EastEnders.

In 2010 he joined Banijay (then Endemol Shine) label Kudos, rising to chief executive in 2015 and overseeing high-profile dramas including International Emmy Award-winning Man in an Orange Shirt, Channel 4 and AMC returner Humans, BBC1’s Apple Tree Yard and Gunpowder, BBC2’s The Boy With The Topknot and Sky Atlantic’s Tin Star.

He stepped down from Kudos in 2019 and most recently worked temporarily with the BBC drama commissioning team.

“Diederick is a critical new appointment for us as we drive the scale and editorial ambition of BritBox International,” said Sakaan. “His unrivalled relationships, experience, and superb taste make him perfectly positioned to create and curate the best of British programming for fans around the world.”