Kerensa Samanidis has long been a familiar and generous presence across the UK OTT community, sharing her expertise through conferences, webinars and consulting engagements. This year she rises to the #1 position in the 50 VOD Professionals ranking for the first time, reflecting both her own contribution to the industry and the central role BBC iPlayer continues to play in UK television. With a new Director-General at the BBC and intensifying competition for audience attention, the year ahead promises to be a pivotal one for both the corporation and iPlayer.

Samanidis joined the BBC in 2023 to take up the newly created role of General Manager, BBC iPlayer, leading strategy, growth and business operations across the service. Working across multiple business areas and stakeholder groups, she has helped guide a platform that recently celebrated its 18th consecutive year of growth in both reach and engagement.

Her career in video began long before OTT became a mainstream term. From devising PlayStation’s first video-on-demand strategy in the early 2000s to developing and implementing Channel 4’s international business, Samanidis has launched and grown a wide range of popular and specialist services across multiple markets.

Prior to joining the BBC, she held senior leadership roles at WarnerMedia, AMC Networks and the BFI, and also ran a successful consultancy whose clients included BritBox International, the BBC and Channel 4.

Few executives can claim such a broad perspective across the evolution of video, from its earliest digital experiments through to today’s highly competitive platform ecosystem. That experience, combined with her leadership of one of the UK’s most important media services, makes Samanidis a fitting choice for this year’s top spot.

Jay Hunt leads the expansion and strategy for Apple Original series developed outside of the US, focusing on productions in Europe and reporting to Apple’s heads of worldwide video, Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht.

Hunt champions award-winning, acclaimed programming with global appeal, including the Nielsen Top 10-ranked hit “Hijack”; widely hailed BAFTA Television Awards Best Drama winner and Emmy Award-nominee “Bad Sisters”; beloved Emmy and BAFTA Award winner “Slow Horses”; global event docuseries “Prehistoric Planet” from Jon Favreau; critically acclaimed drama “The Buccaneers”; popular globe-trotting travel program “The Reluctant Traveler With Eugene Levy”; and, family comedy “Trying,” starring Rafe Spall and Esther Smith, among many others.

Recently announced upcoming series also include “Prodigies,” starring Ayo Edebiri and Will Sharpe; “The Wanted Man” starring Hugh Laurie; and “The Husbands” starring Juno Temple, alongside the second seasons of multi-lingual French and Japanese drama “Drops of God” and German-language comedy “Where’s Wanda?”

Hunt, OBE, was appointed Chair of the British Film Institute in 2024, after serving as a Governor of the BFI since 2020. Prior to joining Apple, Hunt served as chief creative officer at Channel 4, Director of Programmes at Channel 5 and as Controller of BBC One. 

BBC iPlayer turns 18 this year (having famously launched on Christmas Day 2007) and, according to the BBC’s latest annual plan, is still going from strength-to-strength.

2024 broke records for the service: YOY viewing time up 23% (32% for 16-24 year olds), the strongest July ever (with 18.4m active accounts that month), and impressive data which suggests that in the UK, total BBC viewing across broadcast and iPlayer is more than Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+ combined, and ahead of YouTube and TikTok combined. 

Kerensa Samanidis is General Manager for BBC iPlayer where she oversees strategy, growth and business operations of the service.  

Prior to the BBC, she worked with Channel 4 to develop and implement its international streaming business.

Samanidis’s long career within the streaming industry began in the early 2000’s where she devised PlayStation’s first video-on-demand strategy.  She went on to hold leadership roles at WarnerMedia, AMC Networks and the BFI where she launched and managed a range of international streaming services. She also ran a successful consulting business with clients including BritBox International, BBC and Channel 4.

With ITV and Channel 4 already placing increasing amounts of long-form content on YouTube, and the BBC now commissioning bespoke, YouTube-first programming, the platform’s relationship with UK broadcasters has moved from promotional outlet to (most-important?) strategic distribution partner. As Managing Director of YouTube UK & Ireland, Alison Lomax sits at the centre of that shift.

The scale of YouTube’s role in UK viewing continues to grow. According to Ofcom, the platform is now the UK’s second most-watched media service behind only the BBC, with audiences spending an average of 39 minutes per day on YouTube, including 16 minutes on the household TV set. Among younger audiences, its position is even stronger: YouTube is the most-watched service among both 16–34s and children aged 4–15, accounting for 22% and 28% of their video viewing respectively. Viewing among older audiences is also rising, with over-55s nearly doubling their time on YouTube from 6 minutes per day in January 2023 to 11 minutes per day in December 2024.

Lomax is responsible for working with government and policymakers and partnering with creators, brands and the music industry to ensure YouTube remains at the forefront of the creator economy.

She has spent her career at the intersection of technology and creativity, working both in the public sector – including roles within MI5 and the Foreign Office – and in advertising before joining Google in 2011, where she led a number of commercial and creative teams. She took up her current role at YouTube in January 2023.

Dana is Group Chief Executive of Sky, one of Europe’s leading media and entertainment companies and part of Comcast Corporation, a global media and technology group. Dana has managed both cable and satellite businesses around the world and is recognised for her track record for accelerating growth.  

Since Dana joined in 2021, Sky has launched two new world-leading streaming platforms – Sky Glass and Sky Stream. These products build on Sky’s passion for entertainment and mark a shift from providing content over satellite to via the internet and straight to people’s TV’s.  

Under her leadership, Sky continues its commitment to the cultural economy, creating award-winning original content, producing the biggest live sporting events, and providing free access to news and the arts.  

A series of landmark sports rights deal have recently been secured by Sky including the broadcast rights to show a record number of Premier League fixtures in a new four-year deal from 2025/26; the UK broadcast rights to the EFL through to the 2028/29 season; the US Open tennis to 2027; Formula 1 to 2029; and the Women’s Super League. Dana has also overseen the expansion of Sky’s long-term partnerships with UK public service broadcasters, Channel 4, ITV, and the BBC, as well as new long-term agreements that have brought Apple TV+, Paramount+, and content from Peacock onto Sky’s Entertainment OS platform.  

Dana has overseen the continued diversification of Sky’s business, with Sky Mobile becoming the fastest growing mobile operator in the UK, the rapid expansion of Sky Broadband’s customer base, and the launch of Sky Protect, a first of its kind smart home protection and insurance service. 

Before joining Sky, Dana led transformation and growth for many of the world’s largest media and telecommunication companies serving as President of Consumer Services for Comcast Cable, the largest broadband and PayTV operator in the United States; President and Chief Operating Officer of Virgin Media; and Chief Transformation Officer of Liberty Global.  

Jane Stiller is Chief Viewer Officer at ITV, where she leads all aspects of the ITV viewer experience, bringing together brand, marketing, insights, digital products, subscription and distribution teams to grow audiences and revenue.

Since taking on the role in 2024, Stiller has overseen continued momentum for ITVX, with the platform delivering record-breaking viewing numbers in every month of 2026. ITVX also achieved one billion streams in a quarter for the first time this year, with standout performances across soaps, drama, reality TV and sport.

Under her leadership, ITV has relaunched ITVX on Amazon Prime Video, driven revenue growth across ITV’s subscription business, and introduced a series of key product improvements. These culminated in a new World Cup experience featuring password-less access – a UK broadcaster first – alongside enhanced personalised content curation and a dedicated fan zone app.

Stiller has also led the launch of ITV’s new brand positioning, There’s No Place Like ITV, highlighting the broadcaster’s unique place in British public life: somewhere familiar, distinctive and trusted; somewhere that feels like home.

She joined ITV in 2019 as Director of Media, was promoted to Chief Marketing Officer in 2020, and was named Chief Viewer Officer in 2024. Before joining ITV, she held senior marketing and digital roles across retail and consumer goods, including at Marks & Spencer, Innocent and Mars.

Jay Hunt leads the expansion and strategy for Apple Original series developed outside of the US, and reporting to Apple’s heads of worldwide video, Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht.

Hunt champions award-winning, acclaimed programming with global appeal, including the Nielsen Top 10-ranked hit Hijack; beloved Emmy and BAFTA Award winner Slow Horses; widely hailed BAFTA Television Awards Best Drama winner and Emmy Award nominee Bad Sisters; global event docuseries Prehistoric Planet from Jon Favreau; critically acclaimed drama The Buccaneers; popular globe-trotting travel program The Reluctant Traveler With Eugene Levy; multi-lingual International Emmy Award Best Drama winner Drops of God; German Television Award Best Drama winner Berlin ER; and, family comedy Trying, starring Rafe Spall and Esther Smith, among many others. Recently announced upcoming series also include Prodigies, starring Ayo Edebiri and Will Sharpe; The Wanted Man starring Hugh Laurie; The Husbands starring Juno Temple; Australian thriller Last Seen starring Patrick Brammall; an adaptation of the Berlin Noir book series starring Jack Lowden; and French series La Décision starring Raphaël Personnaz and Diane Kruger.

Hunt, OBE, was appointed Chair of the British Film Institute in 2024, after serving as a Governor of the BFI since 2020, and was also appointed Chair of Hay Festival Global in 2025. Prior to joining Apple, Hunt served as Chief Creative Officer at Channel 4, Director of Programmes at Channel 5 and as Controller of BBC One.

As UK Content Vice President, Anne leads the teams across all genres – scripted series, film, unscripted, documentaries and licensed programmes. 

Mensah joined Netflix in 2018 and oversees all Netflix UK commissions including Adolescence, Fool Me Once, One Day, The Gentlemen, Baby Reindeer, Supacell, BAFTA, Emmy & Golden Globe award winning Netflix drama The Crown and BAFTA award winning Netflix series Sex Education . 

Prior to this, she was Director of Drama and Sky Studios at Sky UK. Before joining Sky, Mensah served as Head of Independent Drama at the BBC as well as Head of Drama for BBC Scotland. Mensah has commissioned a wide variety of internationally acclaimed dramas such as BAFTA award winning Patrick Melrose starring Benedict Cumberbatch for Sky/Showtime and BAFTA and Emmy award winning Sky/HBO drama, Chernobyl. 

Mensah is a trustee of Into Film, Vice President of Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, trustee of Mission 44, as well as a member of the 2018 Class of Henry Crown Fellows within the Aspen Global Leadership Network at the Aspen Institute.  

As UK Content Vice President, Anne Mensah leads the teams across all genres – scripted series, film, unscripted, documentaries and licensed programmes.

She joined Netflix in 2018 and oversees all Netflix UK commissions including Adolescence, Fool Me Once, One Day, The Gentlemen, Baby Reindeer, Supacell, BAFTA, Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning Netflix drama The Crown, and BAFTA award-winning Netflix series Sex Education.

Prior to this, Mensah was Director of Drama and Sky Studios at Sky UK. Before joining Sky, she served as Head of Independent Drama at the BBC as well as Head of Drama for BBC Scotland. Mensah has commissioned a wide variety of internationally acclaimed dramas such as BAFTA award-winning Patrick Melrose, starring Benedict Cumberbatch for Sky/Showtime, and BAFTA and Emmy award-winning Sky/HBO drama Chernobyl.

Mensah is a trustee of Into Film, Vice President of Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, trustee of Mission 44, as well as a member of the 2018 Class of Henry Crown Fellows within the Aspen Global Leadership Network at the Aspen Institute.

Mclachlan, five years into his tenure as ITV’s Director of Advanced Advertising shared the unique FAFO [google it] Framework for ITV Adlabs at OTT Question Time Live, our conference earlier this year. A process which over the past several years has been deployed to develop experiments, prototypes, pilots and happy accidents in the CTV ad-space.

Mclachlan’s team has a track record of delivering cutting edge propositions, from Dynamic Weather Targeting to KERCHING via the UKs largest off-platform Retail Media proposition Retail Match and in the last month alone announcing Auto Match and a pioneering CTV Lead Generation ad format pilot. 

In addition to Adlabs, Mclachlan is also the very public sales lead for ITVs proprietary addressable ad-sales platform Planet V, and has over the last year been increasingly outspoken on the importance of CTV inventory and ad quality, calling out bad actors in the ecosystem with his now inescapable ‘no tomatoes in the fruit salad‘ analogy.