Kerensa Samanidis appointed as General Manager for BBC iPlayer

The BBC has announced that Kerensa Samanidis will join the BBC as General Manager for BBC iPlayer.

Kerensa joins from Channel 4 and will start the new role on 19 June.

Reporting into Dan McGolpin – Director of BBC iPlayer and Channels – Kerensa will be responsible for the delivery of the BBC iPlayer growth strategy and management of the overall iPlayer operation. Working with teams across the BBC, including product, marketing and editorial, Kerensa will be tasked with ensuring that BBC iPlayer is the best service it can be for viewers across the UK.

Dan McGolpin, Director of BBC iPlayer and Channels says: “I’m delighted to welcome Kerensa to the BBC, her fantastic experience working across a wide range of video streaming businesses and her relentless focus on audience growth is going to help galvanise teams right across the organisation as we all work together to propel BBC iPlayer to the next level.”

Kerensa Samanidis says: “The BBC and its iconic iPlayer streaming service have consistently led innovation in the industry, so it is a great honour to be brought in to continue this work and drive further progress with the service. I am looking forward to working with Dan and the talented teams at the BBC at such an important time in its digital future.”

The growth and development of BBC iPlayer is fundamental to the future of the BBC – the service broke a record seven billion programme streams last year. This year, BBC iPlayer is already offering viewers more choice than ever before with more box-sets of returning and classic shows alongside all of its brand new programming spanning all genres. BCS Bureau