Reemah Sakaan Named President of 5

Reemah Sakaan, most recently global CEO of BritBox International, has been tapped as the new president of 5, effective January 27.

In her new role, Sakaan will lead the broadcasters and oversee its growth strategy as it continues to build its presence in streaming. Ben Frow, chief content officer of 5, and his commissioning, content and marketing teams will report to Sakaan, as will the broadcaster’s commercial distribution and product teams.

Sakaan has over two decades of experience in streaming, global content and public-service television. She was a founder and chief creative officer of BritBox when it launched in 2017 and scaled the 50/50 joint venture between BBC and ITV internationally. Appointed global CEO in 2020, under her leadership, the business grew annually by 25 percent. In 2024, she oversaw BBC Studios’ acquisition of ITV’s share of the business before stepping down in 2025.

Prior to BritBox, Sakaan held senior roles within commercial and license-funded public-service broadcasting. She was director of marketing and media for ITV, where she helped launch ITV Hub, and head of marketing for BBC One and was part of the launch team for BBC iPlayer.

Sakaan succeeds Sarah Rose, who left Paramount at the end of 2025 to join The Royal Foundation as CEO.

“I’m excited that we’ve been able to appoint someone of Reemah’s calibre to be the new President of 5,” said Kevin MacLellan, president of international and global content distribution at Paramount. “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.”

“I’ve long admired 5’s exceptional understanding of its audience,” Sakaan commented. “It consistently punches above its weight and is loved by viewers, advertisers and U.K. 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.”