Fox streamer Tubi has hired one of the architects behind ITVX as its first General Manager in the UK.
Ross Appleton takes on the newly-created role shortly after Tubi launched in the nation. He will be responsible for setting commercial and content strategy, scaling the company’s UK team, and continuing to grow Tubi across the nation.
Appleton joins after spending 12 years at ITV, where he was a launch director for fledgling free streamer ITVX and most recently served as Director of Operations for Streaming.
Tubi launched in the UK earlier this year with more than 20,000 movies and TV episodes including the likes of Marvel’s Runaways and Billy Elliotand originals such as Slay and House of Heat, with content from Disney, Lionsgate, NBCUniversal and Sony Pictures Entertainment. Speaking to Deadline over the summer, CEO Anjali Sud talked up Tubi’s bid to attract “fandoms and communities” from the nation with categories including Bollywood, Nollywood, baking shows and arthouse cinema. It has slowly been rolling out internationally over the past few years.
“We are thrilled with the momentum we have built in the UK since we launched in July, and are excited to bring Ross into the business as we continue to scale out our team and platform,” said David Salmon, Executive Vice President and Managing Director. “Ross’ deep expertise in UK TV and streaming will enable us to accelerate our growth and ensure we are delivering a content experience that UK consumers love.”
