24 July 2020

BBC Studios and UKTV have appointed Melanie Rumani as Global Head of Acquisitions in a newly created role, following the decision to combine the remit of the Acquisitions teams at BBC Studios and UKTV under the leadership of Adrian Wills, General Manager of Global Acquisitions for BBC Studios, and Drama & Lifestyle for UKTV.

The new team will be based at UKTV's headquarters at 10 Hammersmith Grove, in a move designed to create a world class hub for acquisitions.

Adrian Wills said:

Melanie brings a wealth of experience to this new role. Combining the skill and expertise of BBC Studios and UKTV's acquisitions teams means we can leverage joint buying power in an increasingly global market.

Melanie joined BBC Studios (formally BBC Worldwide) 14 years ago and has spent the last three years as Head of Acquisitions, sourcing content for 40 individual pay TV channels and SVOD BBC-branded services globally. During her time at BBC Studios she has helped to launch new channels across multiple territories including BBC Earth, BBC Brit and BBC First.

Melanie said:

I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to bring the UKTV and BBC Studios Global Acquisitions teams together, and through building on our strong relationships with content suppliers, continue to secure the best programming for our audiences in the UK and around the globe.

Melanie starts in post immediately.

For more information, please contact:
Ali Laurie, Network Communications Executive

About UKTV
UKTV has been at the forefront of branded television for over 25 years, entertaining the nation with programmes they love. Its leading brands - Dave, Gold, W, Drama, Alibi, Eden and Yesterday - span comedy, entertainment, natural history, factual and drama, and are delivered to audiences through UKTV Play, Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media, BT, TalkTalk, YouView, Freesat and Amazon Fire. The broadcaster is a significant investor in British creativity and is committed to working with new and established writers, directors and programme-makers.

UKTV is part of BBC Studios, the UK's most-awarded production company, a world-class distributor with international branded services, and a commercial subsidiary of the world's leading public service broadcaster, the BBC.

corporate.uktv.co.uk | press.uktv.co.uk | @uktvpress

About BBC Studios
BBC Studios, a global content company with British creativity at its heart, is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC Group. Able to take an idea seamlessly from thought to screen, it spans content financing, development, production, sales, branded services, and ancillaries from both its own productions and programmes and formats made by high-quality UK independents. Award-winning British programmes made by the business are internationally recognised across a broad range of genres and specialisms, including factual, drama, entertainment and comedy. BBC Studios has offices in 22 markets globally, including six production bases in the UK and production bases and partnerships in a further nine countries around the world. The company, which makes around 2,500 hours of content a year, is a champion for British creativity around the world and a committed partner for the UK's independent sector. Created in April 2018 by the merger of two existing commercial subsidiaries, BBC Worldwide and BBC Studios, the company has revenue of around £1.4bn. In the year to March 2019, it returned £243m to the BBC Group, complementing the BBC's licence fee and enhancing programmes for UK audiences.

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