Banijay Rights exec Chris Stewart joins A+E Global Media as VP of content sales

Banijay Rights executive Chris Stewart has been appointed VP of content sales at US-based media group A+E Global Media.

Chris Stewart

Based in the UK, Stewart will oversee content sales across the UK, Ireland and Germany.

He joins from sales house Banijay Rights, where he most recently served as senior VP for the UK and Ireland, leading sales strategy and deal negotiations for the group’s extensive programming catalogue. Earlier in his Banijay tenure, he also handled sales across Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Between 2018 and 2020, Stewart was commercial director of scripted at Banijay Rights. He sourced and negotiated development and distribution opportunities and worked with producers to finance and position programming for the international market.

Prior to that, he was head of drama at BBC Worldwide, where he was responsible for acquiring and financing titles for international distribution and overseeing the company’s US-based slate.

Stewart began his sales career at 2 Entertain Video, where he held programming and commissioning roles focused on BBC fiction titles.

A+E Global Media operates brands including A&E, Lifetime, History and Vice TV, reaching more than 200 territories in over 40 languages. It produces scripted content through A+E Studios and unscripted programming through A+E Factual Studios.

Patrick Vien, group MD of international at A+E Global Media, said: “Chris brings a rare breadth of experience across sales, acquisitions, programming and content financing, along with a deep understanding of what buyers need in an increasingly complex marketplace.

“His commercial instincts, strong industry relationships and ability to identify opportunities across platforms will be tremendous assets as we continue to expand the reach of A+E Global Media’s content across these key markets.”