SPI Taps Liberty Global Alum as Film1 MD

SPI International has named Jeroen Bergman, a 20-year veteran of Liberty Global, as managing director of Film1 operations in the Netherlands.

Last week, SPI International announced its acquisition of the brand assets of Film1, the Dutch premium television and VOD service. SPI will now fully own the Film1 brand and will operate four pay-movie services brands under the Film1 umbrella: Film1 Premiere, Film1 Drama, Film1 Action and Film1 Family.

Bergman was previously the managing director of programming at Liberty Global. He worked on the acquisition of the Dutch Canal+ assets by Liberty Global and managed them for six years, during which the service relaunched as Film1 and Sport1.

Berk Uziyel, CEO of SPI International, said: “We are delighted to have Jeroen Bergman on board as managing director of Film1 movie services. Jeroen’s extensive media and entertainment industry expertise will play a key role in strengthening Film1’s growth as the best premium movie service in the Netherlands. We are confident that Film1 will create a great success story in the Netherlands.”

Bergman added: “I am very excited to work with SPI International, a company I have come to know well for their strong presence in Europe. Their track record, superior programming and established content relationships will be of formidable help in driving the growth of Film1 in the Netherlands,”