UKTV appoints Ronan Hand as director of programme funding

Multichannel broadcaster, UKTV, this month announced it has appointed Ronan Hand in the newly created position of director of programme funding. The role, which sits within UKTV’s Commercial team, is designed to better enable the broadcaster to realise its ambitions in IP ownership and original commissions. Ronan joins from ITV Studios where he is SVP global content, non-scripted and co-productions.

Reporting to chief commercial officer, Simon Michaelides, Ronan will lead a multi-faceted team in taking a coordinated approach to funding original programmes, which draws together commercial partnerships, co-production and programme distribution. He will also explore new areas such as airtime funded programming with the intent of forging optimum funding partnerships for each programming idea.

Ronan joins UKTV in May and his responsibilities will include expanding UKTV’s international sales footprint and amplifying the role of Advertiser Funded Programming within UKTV’s programme mix. Ronan and his team will work closely with the Commissioning team led by director of commissioning Richard Watsham.