StudioCanal alum joins 20th Century

MIPCOM: Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution (TCFTD) has hired a StudioCanal exec to lead its new office in Germany.

Simon Bathe

Simon Bathe has joined the distribution arm of the US studio in the new role of VP of sales to oversee its activities selling to pay, basic and free TV, as well as SVoD services in German-speaking territories.

Bathe is based at the company’s newly opened Munich office and will report to Kristen Finney, executive VP for EMEA.

The exec was most recently executive VP of digital distribution at StudioCanal, where he headed global digital strategy and digital distribution.

Prior to joining StudioCanal in October 2015, Bathe was VP of distribution for Sony Pictures Television Latin America in Miami where he led the digital and pay TV business for the region.

“The television landscape across Europe, and specifically the German-language markets, is evolving in so many ways and I’m happy to further develop Fox content in the region,” Bathe said.

It comes after TCFTD set up a new organisational structure that will see its sales activities aligned around three major regions: the Americas, EMEA and Asia Pacific.

The changes follow the announcement that Marion Edwards, president of international television, is to leave the firm at the end of 2016 after 24 years.