ITVS snaps up TikTok and Sky execs amid hiring spree

ITV Studios has recruited former TikTok/ByteDance exec Yannis Ioannidis as part of a major investment in its business development and data & insights capabilities.

Ioannidis joins as senior vice-president of business development and brings experience across international content, technology and strategy, having driven the international expansion of new products and features on TikTok and its parent company ByteDance in a global partnerships role.

Also joining ITVS is Sky exec Jason Fletcher, senior vice-president of data and insights, who starts today (1 October). Fletcher has spent the last nine years at the pay-TV giant, leading a team of specialists responsible for advising on content partnerships, which have included arrangements with Netflix, HBO Max and Paramount+, as well as Sky Studios’ commissioning and acquisitions.

Rebecca Ameson also becomes part of Fletcher’s team as vice-president of data and insights. She moves from ITV Studios Technology. Working alongside is Felix Eccleshare, who joined the team in July as senior data analyst, who will support Ameson and Fletcher deliver insights across the business.

ITVS has also brought across Will Johnson as business development manager from the global content team, where he spent over five years working with labels such as Poison Pen and ITV Studios America for distribution.

The hires are a strategic investment into the units, aimed at unlocking opportunities across global partnerships and nascent digital arm Zoo55.

The recruitment drive was led by ITVS executive vice-president of global sales and commercial strategy Tom Clark who said: “Business development and data & insights are two critical engines that will help us to identify significant growth drivers in the rapidly evolving global digital and media landscape.”

Ioannidis added he is joining ITVS at “a pivotal moment for the industry”.

“With its incredible creative heritage and global scale, it is uniquely positioned to shape the future of content, from new formats and emerging technologies to fresh commercial opportunities. I look forward to working with the team to help fuel the next phase of growth,” he said.

Fletcher said: “ITV’s catalogue and creative ambition are second to none, and I look forward to working with my team and colleagues across Studios to bring data and insight to the heart of how we grow value across platforms and partnerships.”