Former BBC One controller Peter Salmon has been named as executive chairman of content producer and distributor, Banijay UK.
Last month parent company Banijay acquired Endemol Shine in a $2.2 billion deal.
Salmon will oversee Banijay UK’s portfolio of 25 unscripted and scripted production labels, including Dragonfly, Remarkable TV, Tiger Aspect, Shine TV and Zeppotron.
The company’s suite of titles include MasterChef, Grantchester, Mr Bean, Ambulance, The Island with Bear Grylls and Location, Location, Location.
Former UK chief operating officer, Lucinda Hicks, will become CEO, with Richard Johnston, current CEO of Endemol Shine UK, leaving the business.
Salmon was controller of BBC One between 1997 and 2000 and is also a co-inventor of Sport Relief. He was named head of BBC Studios in 2015 before leaving the BBC in March 2016 to join Endemol Shine as global creative chief.
He said: “It’s a great moment to land one of the biggest production jobs in the world. Having worked across our UK slate from a global perspective for nearly five years, I know how exciting the shows and producers are. In Banijay UK we have an unrivalled network of creative talent, a multi-regional footprint, first-class formats and a world-beating catalogue – an incredible advantage moving forward.”
