Newen appoints M6 veteran

French production group Newen has hired the former programme director at commercial broadcaster M6 as its new content chief.

Bibiane Godfroid

Bibiane Godfroid is joining the prodco on December 1 as deputy CEO in charge of content, reporting to Newen’s president Fabrice Larue.

Godfroid will be in charge of building Newen’s content and talent strategy together with the group’s various production subsidiaries and will be Newen’s direct contact to all broadcasters.

One of her first missions will probably be to warm up relationships with France Télévisions. The pubcaster has threatened to cancel Newen shows it currently airs in the wake of commercial rival TF1 buying a 70% stake in the production business earlier this month.

Godfroid has a long track record in the French content industry, having left the M6 programme director role after eight years earlier this summer.

She was previously chairman and CEO of FremantleMedia France between 2003 and 2007, and prior to that spent six years at pay TV broadcaster Canal+, first as programme director and then as executive VP of channels. She was also schedule director of pubcaster France 2 between 1991 and 1995.