Starz has promoted global SVOD executive Darren Nielson to executive vice president of International Networks, president and CEO Jeffrey Hirsch announced Tuesday. Nielson will report directly to Hirsch and is taking over for Superna Kalle, who was formerly head of the division.
In the role, Nielson will oversee the international division’s growth for its newly rebranded international service Lionsgate+ including P&L responsibility and all aspects of programming, distribution, marketing and publicity in the UK, Latin America and Brazil, Canada and Australia including oversight of Lionsgate+ international original series.
Since joining the company in 2018, the executive has been leading the international distribution and business development for Starz-branded digital and linear services and channels, working closely with Kalle to develop expansion strategies, identify and evaluate partner opportunities, and source and negotiate distribution agreements with in-territory partners.
“Darren has been instrumental in building our international business working with Superna since joining the company in 2018. He has a deep knowledge of the global streaming landscape and is a respected strategic executive. We look forward to maximizing growth and profitability of our international markets under his leadership,” Hirsch said in a statement. “Superna did a great job in rapidly scaling an international service from the ground up, forming many new distribution partnerships and building a robust slate of international original series. We are grateful for her leadership and dedication to the company and wish her continued success.”
Kalle added, “Darren has been my right hand in launching and building the international business and has great relationships with key partners around the globe. He will do a wonderful job in leading the next phase of STARZ international.”
Prior to joining the cable network, Nielson served as director of content acquisition at Netflix. Nielson was instrumental in launching and building Netflix across Europe and Asia and managed global licensing relationships with major studios and local partners across both film and TV series. Before that, he held business development positions at Sony Pictures Television and Ascent Media.
In late September of last year, Lionsgate announced that it would be spinning off its Lionsgate studio business amid a larger overseas rebrand of its Starz streaming service, which was renamed to Lionsgate+ (formerly known as Starzplay). The decision meant that Lionsgate’s studio and streaming services would operate separately but remain strategically aligned as two singular companies.
