WarnerMedia has named Dutch TV executive Annelies Sitvast its new head of unscripted programming for the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region. The move comes as Warner rolls out its streaming service HBO Max across its territorial footprint in the region.
Sitvast will join WarnerMedia in May from her current job as head of the Dutch commercial channel Net 5, part of the Talpa Network. Based in Amsterdam, Sitvast will commission original unscripted programming for HBO Max in the region. She’ll report to Antony Root, head of original production for WarnerMedia EMEA.
Before joining Net 5, Sitvast cut her teeth at SBS Broadcasting as a senior acquisitions executive and worked on acquisition strategies and slate development for several Dutch TV channels.
“I am delighted to welcome Annelies to WarnerMedia,” said Root in a statement. “She brings a wealth of experience from the world of unscripted programming. Working with our local teams, she will steer our expansion into unscripted across Europe, which is a key part of our original production strategy as we launch HBO Max across the region.”
WarnerMedia, through its HBO and TNT channels, has been a big investor in high-end local drama productions in Europe for some time now, with series such as Patria in Spain and the Oscar-nominated Romanian documentary Collective.
The studio currently operates HBO streaming platforms and linear channels in 21 countries across the Nordics, Iberia and Central and Eastern Europe, the territories where WarnerMedia will be first launching its HBO Max streaming service.
In addition to non-scripted, Warner is looking to bulk up on original kids programming and last week unveiled its new EMEA kids team. Alongside Vanessa Brookman, head of kids, EMEA for WarnerMedia, the studio named Sarah Fell to head original production, Marc Goodchild for digital content and Sean Henry to run content strategy and acquisitions for kids programming the region.
In a nod to kids cartoon fans, WarnerMedia also announced it will resurrect the Hanna-Barbera brand name —the studio behind such TV classics as Scooby-Doo and The Flintstones —and will rename its flagship television animation studio in Europe, the London-based Cartoon Network Studios Europe, as Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe.
