BBC Studios promotes Robert Schildhouse to CEO of Direct to Consumer

BBC Studios (BBCS) has promoted Robert Schildhouse to CEO of its newly renamed Direct to Consumer business which comprises BritBox in North America and BBC Select.

Robert Schildhouse

Schildhouse, who was previously president of BritBox and the commercial arm of the UK pubcaster, said his new role “reflects future growth ambitions for both direct-to-consumer businesses in North America.”

BBC Select, the documentary streaming service from BBCS which airs in the US and Canada, was brought under Schildhouse’s leadership last year, and now claims to be the third largest documentary streaming service in the US with subscriptions up more than 50% year on year.

BBCS bought rival commercial broadcaster ITV out of its BritBox joint venture for $321m in 2024 and BritBox launched its Premier higher subscription tier across North America last year.

The move follows the departure of Rebecca Glashow, CEO of BBC Global Media & Streaming, as part of a restructure in September.  Following that move Schildhouse began reporting directly to Tom Fussell, CEO, BBC Studios.

BBC Studios’ channels and catch-up services outside of North America now fall under Marcus Arthur, CEO of UKTV and president of BBC Studios in the UK and Ireland

Fussell said: “Today’s announcement is a testament to Robert’s leadership, and to the scale of opportunity in North America for our direct-to-consumer operations and the strategic importance to BBC Studios’ future growth and investment.

“Following the launch of BritBox Premier last year, BritBox has firmly cemented its position as the premium destination for lovers of British content in North America, while BBC Select has within a short period of time established itself as a distinctive service for North American audiences looking for quality factual programming shot through with the hallmark of the BBC.”

Schildhouse added: “This has been an incredible time of growth for both BritBox and BBC Select, following a transformative few years for both our streaming businesses. I’m honoured to step into this new role for BBC Studios and excited about what’s to come as we continue to build on our momentum and serve passionate fans of British storytelling.”