Former Kudos Boss Diederick Santer Joins BritBox As International CCO – Deadline

BritBox is ramping up its international manpower with the hire of Diederick Santer as its first Chief Creative Officer.

The streaming service, which is a joint venture globally between the BBC and ITV, has appointed Santer to oversee all aspects of programming on the SVOD service globally, including commissioning and acquisition across all genres and for all markets outside of the UK.

Santer was previously CEO of Endemol Shine/Banijay-owned producer Kudos, where he oversaw shows such as AMC and Channel 4 co-pro Humans, Sky’s Tim Roth-fronted drama Tin Star as well as BBC’s Apple Tree Yard, Gunpowder and The Boy With The Topknot. Before taking charge at Kudos, he ran his own production company Lovely Day, within Kudos, where he produced Grantchester.

Earlier this year, he finished an eight-month stint covering BBC drama commissioning. He also previously ran EastEnders, one of the UK’s largest soaps.

Santer will report to BritBox International CEO Reemah Sakaan. The service has over 2M global subscribers and is available in the U.S., Canada, Australia and is due to launch in South Africa this summer.

Sakaan said, “Diederick is a critical new appointment for us as we drive the scale and editorial ambition of BritBox International. 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.”

Santer added, “I am hugely excited to be joining Reemah and her team at BritBox International.  I’ve been obsessed with British TV for as long as I can remember, so to share the very best of it with the rest of the world – and to work with the finest UK producers – is something I am very much looking forward to.”