Blue Ant combines rights and streaming arms, promotes Mark Bishop, Matt Hornburg

Blue Ant Studios’ Mark Bishop (left) and Matthew Hornburg

BANFF: Blue Ant Media is bringing together its rights and streaming businesses under a new structure, with Mark Bishop and Matt Hornburg elevated to new roles and Carlyn Staudt set to leave the company.

Blue Ant, which has traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange since last summer, said the move will allow it to “take a more strategic and coordinated approach to content distribution, windowing, partnership development and monetisation of its owned and partner IP across global markets.”

Under the new three-pronged structure, the combined rights and streaming group will be led by Mark Bishop, whose new role is chief monetisation officer for Blue Ant rights and streaming, responsible for global content distribution, rights strategy, streaming platforms, audience growth and monetisation.

Hornburg will lead the studios division as chief content officer, Blue Ant Studios, with oversight of content strategy, development and production, including both owned IP and service work.

The third division, Canadian Media, is led by president Mitch Dent, who is responsible for Blue Ant’s Canadian broadcasting, consumer shows and Cottage Life publishing.

At the same time, Staudt, president of global channels and streaming, will leave at the end of the summer. During her time with the company, she has played a significant role in building its global channels business and helped establish wildlife and nature brand Love Nature globally.

Elsewhere, Craig Junner was elevated to executive VP and general manager of global channels and streaming, reporting to Bishop.

In addition, Blue Ant said it has aligned its international sales operation under a regional leadership model that reports to Bishop. In addition, Jon Penn will continue to lead the Asia-Pacific region, Bryan Gabourie leads the Americas region and a search is underway for a senior executive to oversee Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

“As our content portfolio, customer relationships, and distribution footprint have grown significantly, it became clear that a more unified approach to content monetisation would enable us to better capitalise on opportunities across platforms and markets,” said Blue Ant Media CEO Michael MacMillan.

“This structure gives us greater visibility across the content lifecycle, enabling us to better serve our partners, unlock greater value from our content across platforms and territories, and capitalise on opportunities in a rapidly evolving media landscape.”