ProgramBuyer.com, the non-transactional screening site for global buyers and sellers of TV programming, confirmed the appointment of Nina Bareta as its first head of sales. Bareta, a former senior sales manager at Fox Networks Group Content Distribution, had been consulting at Program Buyer for a while, but after a significant increase in business, and her pivotal role in driving both distribution and buyer numbers, she was recently confirmed as the company's First head of sales. She joins co-founders Roz Parker and Edwina Thring, and their rapidly growing team of metadata, analytics, technical and security experts who manage the content in the system and provide usage data.
Program Buyer can also announce that its number of distributors has risen from 100 to more than 120, as rights holders from around the world, including A+E Networks (US), Autentic Distribution (Germany), Kanal D International (Turkey), Beyond Distribution (UK / Australia), SPI International (worldwide), Rive Gauche Television (US), DLT Entertainment (UK), Ying Group (Singapore) and CTC Media (Russia) have uploaded content to the portal. There are now more than 75,000 hours of content available for screening, with 800 buyers onboard.
Last summer, ProgramBuyer announced a first round of investment from Great Point, via its Great Point Ventures Fund. An expected second round has just been confirmed and is earmarked for the development of a number of exciting new features on ProgramBuyer.com, the first of which is expected to be launched in the spring.
ProgramBuyer co-founder Roz Parker comments: “It was only a year ago that we officially launched ProgramBuyer.com, so we are delighted to have seen it grow so rapidly in that time. We have presented the service to buyers and sellers of programming at key international markets and events over the past few months and the feedback has been universally positive. For distributors we are a low-cost addition to their marketing activities, reaching both existing contacts, as well as buyers from new streamers and services they’ve yet to meet. For buyers, we offer an easy to use, one-stop approach to searching for content from around the world - often introducing them to new sources of great programming. It’s win-win, and as we are non-transactional, sellers still negotiate and retain those vital relationships with the people who acquire their content".
Parker continues: "With Nina officially onboard as head of sales, a second wave of financing guaranteed, and a number of extremely useful features in the pipeline for this year, we are well placed to propel ProgramBuyer to the next stage."
Nina Bareta adds: “It has been a real pleasure to have worked with Roz, Edwina and the widerteam over the past few months, so I am delighted to have now joined full time. I look forward to helping develop the business still further, building ProgramBuyer.cominto a trusted and universal resource for the international content industry."