Paramount Appoints Reemah Sakaan As President Of 5

Paramount has appointed Reemah Sakaan as President of its UK public service broadcaster, 5.

Sakaan was most recently Global CEO of BritBox International, the streaming service operating in eight markets including the US, Canada, Australia, Africa and the Nordics.
She will take up the role on 27 January and report to Kevin MacLellan, Paramount’s President, International and Global Content Distribution.

As President, 5, Sakaan will lead the broadcaster and direct its growth strategy as 5 builds its streaming presence. Ben Frow, Chief Content Officer, 5, and his commissioning, content and marketing teams will report to her, as will the commercial distribution and product teams. She will also work closely with Lee Sears, Paramount’s President of International Ad Sales.

Sakaan has more than two decades of experience in streaming, global content and public service television. A founder and Chief Creative Officer of BritBox when it launched in 2017, she helped scale the 50/50 joint venture between BBC and ITV internationally. Appointed Global CEO in 2020, she led the business to 25% annual growth and in 2024 oversaw BBC Studios’ acquisition of ITV’s share, before stepping down in 2025.

While at BritBox she negotiated global supply deals with Amazon, Apple, Google and Comcast. She also commissioned and co-produced a range of returnable British originals for the service, including the International Emmy-winning Irvine Welsh’s Crime, After the Flood, Beyond Paradise, and new Agatha Christie adaptations Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?, Murder Is Easy and Towards Zero.

Prior to BritBox, Sakaan held senior roles at commercial and licence-funded public service broadcasters. She was Director of Marketing & Media at ITV, where she helped launch ITV Hub, and Head of Marketing for BBC One and part of the launch team for iPlayer. She began her career in FMCG marketing at Diageo and Reckitt Benckiser.

She succeeds Sarah Rose, who left Paramount at the end of 2025 to join The Royal Foundation as Chief Executive Officer.

Announcing the appointment, Kevin MacLellan said: "I'm excited that we've been able to appoint someone of Reemah’s calibre to be the new President of 5.

"She brings a wealth of experience in streaming, content and commercial strategy and I look forward to working closely with her to deliver the next phase of 5’s growth journey."

Reemah Sakaan said: "I've long admired 5's exceptional understanding of its audience. It consistently punches above its weight and is loved by viewers, advertisers and UK creatives as a place for authentic and resonant British storytelling.

"I can’t wait to work with Ben Frow, Kevin MacLellan and all the team to continue accelerating 5’s streaming growth in the most exciting of new eras."