Paramount’s UK Network 5 Unveils New President

The former boss of BritBox International is set to run Paramount ’s UK network Channel 5 (now 5). Reemah Sakaan has replaced Sarah Rose at the helm of the All Creatures Great and Small network and will start in two weeks. Sakaan will lead the broadcaster and oversee its growth strategy as 5 continues to build its presence in streaming. Content chief Ben Frow and his commissioning, content and marketing teams will report to Sakaan, as will the broadcaster’s commercial distribution and product teams. She will also work in close partnership with Lee Sears, Paramount’s President of International Ad Sales. Sakaan will report to Paramount’s international president Kevin MacLellan, who had been in London in recent weeks leading interviews for the role. Sakaan was also reported to have been a frontunner in the race to become Channel 4 CEO, which went to Priya Dogra. Watch on Deadline Sakaan is a highly-rated British executive who ran BritBox International for eight years in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Africa and the Nordics. Credits included several Agatha Christie adaptations and Irvine Welsh’s Crime, while she negotiated deals with Amazon, Apple, Google and Comcast. Prior to BritBox, she worked in marketing for the BBC and ITV. Sakaan replaces Rose, who left at the end of last year to run Prince William and Kate Middleton’s Royal Foundation. Paramount’s 5 is on the up, with Frow turning the network into a respected content player that has in the past week greenlit a drama about disgraced BBC News anchor Huw Edwards and an adaptation of Graham Norton’s Forever Home with FilmNation and Mediapro. MacLellan said: “I’m excited that we’ve been able to appoint someone of Reemah’s calibre to be the new President of 5. She brings a wealth of experience in streaming, content and commercial strategy and I look forward to working closely with her to deliver the next phase of 5’s growth journey.” Sakaan added: “I’ve long admired 5’s exceptional understanding of its audience. It consistently punches above its weight and is loved by viewers, advertisers and UK creatives as a place for authentic and resonant British storytelling. I can’t wait to work with Ben Frow, Kevin MacLellan and all the team to continue accelerating 5’s streaming growth in the most exciting of new eras.”

Preview: ~378 words