UKTV and BBC Studios appoint Sophie Judge as Global Acquisitions Manager

UKTV and BBC Studios have appointed Sophie Judge to the role of Global Acquisitions Manager, further strengthening their combined expertise as a world-class hub for acquisitions covering content for an array of free-to-air and pay linear and VOD services in the UK and globally.

Joining the team led by Melanie Rumani, Global Head of Acquisitions for UKTV and BBC Studios, and reporting to Harriet Armston-Clarke, Senior Global Acquisitions Manager, UKTV and BBC Studios, Sophie will be responsible for sourcing and securing all genres of content from third party suppliers for UKTV’s portfolio of free-to-air and pay channels and free streaming service U, and BBC Studios’ global branded services.

Sophie joins UKTV from Sky where she has been a pivotal member of the acquisitions team since 2009. During that time, as Head of Acquisitions for Series, she led the renewal of the HBO output deal in 2019 for all European Sky territories and was a key stakeholder in the launch of Sky Comedy, Sky Docs and Sky Nature. More recently, as Acquisitions Manager for Sky Entertainment, Sophie led negotiations and acquired key series including Chicago Fire, Young Rock and American Auto for Sky UK, Germany and Italian entertainment channels.

UKTV and BBC Studios’ line up of high-quality acquired content includes UK premiers of hit series from around the world such as The Chelsea Detective (S3), CSI: Vegas, Blackshore, MasterChef Australia and The Brokenwood Mysteries, bingeable US box sets such as The Good Fight, Madam Secretary, Prison Break, Mad Men and Sons of Anarchy, and fan favourites and iconic home-grown programmes such as The Bill, Sister Boniface Mysteries, and an extensive catalogue of Guy Martin titles.

Sophie Judge showed enthusiasm for the new challenge: “I’m really excited to be joining the team at UKTV and BBC Studios. They have a reputation for delivering world-class content. It’s a privilege to work alongside such a talented and experienced team. I’m really looking forward to working across the global services in the international market," commented.

FInally, Melanie Rumani, Global Head of Acquisitions for UKTV and BBC Studios, praised the exec: “I’m thrilled that Sophie is joining the UKTV and BBC Studios acquisitions team. We are a truly global team acquiring content for our extensive network of over 40 services around the world and I’m confident Sophie will make a huge contribution in continuing our success," stated.