CANNES — International TV sales veteran Jim Packer has set a multi-year deal with Lionsgate that will keep him on the senior management team as president of worldwide TV distribution. News of his contract extension was revealed Oct. 17, just as the Mipcom content marketplace kicks off this week in Cannes, bringing the global TV community together for the first full time in three years.
Packer has been with Lionsgate since 2011. The news that he has re-upped comes at a time of uncertainty for the studio. Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer has said the company, which is home to the Lionsgate studio and Starz pay TV platform, is considering options for separating those assets, possibly by selling off the studio to focus on building up Starz.
Packer’s role is crucial for Lionsgate as international licensing of movies and TV shows is a vital revenue source for major studios to offset ever-rising production costs. Lionsgate has remained a free-agent independent outfit selling content across the spectrum from broadcast TV to cable to streaming platforms at a time when its larger competitors are increasingly funnelling top-tier content to direct-to-consumer platforms.
“Jim and his team have built Lionsgate into a global licensing powerhouse whose content touches virtually every platform in the world,” said Feltheimer. “He is a world-class executive, a respected leader and a trusted partner whose entrepreneurial drive and knowledge of the changing face of the content business will continue to be an important part of moving our company forward.”
Packer most recently has been handling sales of “Ghost,” Lionsgate’s sleeper comedy success for CBS, as well as handling complicated movie and TV output deals with Starz, Roku, Peacock and Tubi. Lionsgate noted that during Packer’s dozen years at Lionsgate, its 17,000-title movie and TV library has seen its total annual revenue double to nearly $800 million.
Before Lionsgate, Packer served as head of president worldwide TV and digital for MGM. Earlier in his career, Packer worked in TV distribution for Disney.
