ViacomCBS International Studios (VIS) has revealed a unified distribution outfit called ViacomCBS International Studios Distribution that encompasses all studio sales business including co-productions, pre-sale, formats, tape sales and co-developments.
The company’s former International Program Sales division that focused on tape and format sales for network-branded content outside Latin America including the Nickelodeon library and MTV formats, is now combined with VIS’s sales division. This division previously focused only on VIS original content revenues.
The streamlined sales division is designed to ensure access to broad content distribution rights across all platforms and will promote a centralized leadership structure to deliver efficient processes. Distribution leads within each cluster will lead content sales specialists, who will also focus on co-productions and pre-sales.
Lauren Marriott (pictured, left) has been appointed senior vice president of sales and business operations and distribution lead for the U.K., while Laura Burrell (right) will serve as vice president, international formats. Both appointments are effective immediately. Marriott will dually report to Pierluigi Gazzolo, president of studios and streaming for ViacomCBS Networks International (VCNI), and Arran Tindall, chief commercial officer and executive vice president for commercial and content distribution at VCNI. Burrell will report into Kate Laffey, vice president for VIS.
Marriott has been with ViacomCBS since 2008, and in her new role will drive a central strategy to expand VIS’s sales and distribution by collaborating with ViacomCBS Media Networks in the U.S. and VCNI’s international brands, including Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central and BET. In addition to oversight of tape sales for ViacomCBS’s legacy branded networks business, Marriott will manage all tape sales internationally for VIS original products in partnership with the clusters. Marriott will also oversee central business operations, including legal, operations, finance, marketing and global content licensing revenues.
Burrell, who joined ViacomCBS in 2009, will oversee VCNI and VIS’s format libraries and will be in charge of all aspects of the formats business. She will also oversee an increased portfolio that now includes all scripted and non-scripted titles, including those from Telefe, Awesomeness TV and Ananey.
Gazzolo said, “As we continue to expand our studio’s global footprint, our new content sales division will allow us to unlock efficiencies and simplify client touchpoints, enabling us to take full advantage of the unprecedented demand for quality content worldwide. ViacomCBS International Studios is critical to ViacomCBS’ overall content ecosystem, and I am confident that Lauren and Laura are ideally suited to lead our now streamlined content sales division.”
Marriott added, “As a one-stop-shop for all for all content, our sales division will support crucial priorities across our studio and media networks business. I look forward to this new chapter and helping support VIS’s growth and diversification as we continue to become a key competitor in the global content business.”
Laura Burrell said: “In today’s media landscape, there has never been a more important time for ViacomCBS to have a truly global content library. I’m excited to take on this new role and support VIS in delivering hit global formats for every platform worldwide.”
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