ITV Studios has appointed David Christopher to the newly created role of Director of International Commercial and Digital. Sitting within the Formats team, David will report to Mike Beale, EVP of Global Development and Formats.

David will be responsible for the 360-degree exploitation of ITV Studios’ global format brands, including I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, Hell’s Kitchen,Come Dine With Me, Saturday Night Takeaway and The Chase, outside of the UK and U.S. Working alongside ITV’s UK brand extensions team and Bruce Gersh, ITV Studios America’s recently appointed EVP & Head of Digital, Strategy and Branded Entertainment, David will look for digital, commercial and ancillary opportunities to extend these brands internationally. He will join ITV Studios on 1 April.

Mike Beale said, “David brings extensive experience of realising the full value of TV properties to our Formats team. This will prove invaluable as we look to work with our many broadcast partners around the world to grow our format brands into international entertainment franchises.”

David Christopher added, “ITV Studios has some of the most successful and well-travelled properties in the market. I’m very much looking forward to exploring the breadth of opportunities with these brands and the scope of this exciting new position.”

David joins ITV Studios from Shine Group, where as the Director of Licensing for Shine 360 he was responsible for developing strategic brand and commercial relationships across Shine’s global IP portfolio, working on properties such as MasterChef, The Biggest Loser and One Born Every Minute. Prior to this, he was Jaguar Land Rover’s Global Director of Merchandising and Licensing, where he set up and managed an in-house global L&M operation. Before this, David was Director of Brand Licensing and Promotions for Sony Pictures Entertainment, where he managed the brand licensing programme globally for properties such as Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?