UKTV, BBC Studios Name Jonathan Newman GM of Commercial

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Jonathan Newman has been named general manager of commercial for BBC Studios UK Distribution and UKTV as the companies restructure their commercial teams to focus more effectively on the region’s priorities.

Reporting to Sam Tewungwa, BBC Studios’ chief commercial officer for the U.K. region, Newman will assume day-to-day responsibility for all commercial activity (excluding advertising) across the region. He will lead commercial strategy and implementation across the full range of U.K. businesses, including P&L responsibility, business development and supporting BBC Group corporate development. The UKTV Distribution team and BBC Studios Content Sales team will report to him, as well as UKTV Ventures and Content Funding.

Newman has worked across various areas of BBC Public Service, UKTV and BBC Studios for more than 18 years, with over ten years of experience in commercial leadership roles. Prior to this new role, he had been serving as director of distribution and sales for UKTV and BBC Studios UK/Ireland since January 2020.

“This is an exciting time for the UKTV and BBC Studios businesses, as we focus on both our commercial and corporate strategies to maximize value across the U.K. region,” Tewungwa said. “Jonathan’s impressive achievements in content and affiliate sales and the breadth of his leadership experience means he will hit the ground running, and I am excited to see how he drives the commercial team toward further success.”

Newman added, “It’s a huge honor to have the opportunity to lead the brilliant commercial team at such an exciting time for us at UKTV and BBC Studios UK/Ireland. I’m delighted to be working alongside talented colleagues from across the four business lines in my remit to build on all the great work already done and face into all the challenges posed by the breakneck pace of change in our industry.”