Fremantle names global head of entertainment

Fremantle has appointed former Lime Pictures exec Ben Crompton as its global head of entertainment, replacing the outgoing Andrew Llinares.

Crompton starts later this month and joins having most recently been vice-president of international unscripted at NBCUniversal, where he led the development of formats, IP and third-party projects.

Before that he led the US expansion of Lime Pictures in 2019, working on shows including Dance Monsters for Netflix, True Love or True Lies for MTV, Dating No Filter for E! and Who Do You Believe? for ABC.

Crompton, who reports to Fremantle’s global chief exec Jennifer Mullin, has also had stints Warner Bros. in Australia, as well as Eyeworks and ITV Studios.

His addition is the latest in a string of appointments for the super-indie, which added former Expectation development head Emily Knight and ex-Netflix US exec Jhamal Robinson to its ranks in February.

Former X Factor and Dancing With The Stars exec producer Llinares revealed he would be stepping down earlier this year, having replaced long-time incumbent Rob Clark in 2023.

Mullin described Crompton as “a business-minded leader with a deep understanding of the industry, not only from a development and production perspective, but also from a commercial and strategic viewpoint.

“I look forward to working closely with Ben and our hugely talented team at this extremely exciting time for our business – as we build on our successes and continuing to push the creative boundaries together.”

Crompton added: “I have long admired Fremantle – a company known for creativity, innovation, and groundbreaking formats. I can’t wait to get started and collaborate with the exceptional talent across the Fremantle business.”

Fremantle’s entertainment division is behind shows ranging from The Price is Right and Family Feud, to Got Talent, Idol, Farmer Wants a Wife and The X Factor. The Bertelsmann-owned company said it delivered 345 commissions across 62 territories in 2025.