Nickelodeon UK & Ireland announced late last week the appointment of Katharina Feistauer to the role of Vice President, Programming, effective July 3. Reporting to General Manager Alison Bakunowich, the new veep will take over development and execution of strong schedules and media plans across the network’s seven linear channels as well as on demand and digital platforms.
Feistauer is stepping in for James Newton, who vacated the position in February to pursue other opportunities after holding the post for less than a year. She joins the company from Scripps Networks International, where she was VP Programming for UK and EMEA for over two years. Feistauer boards Nick UK & Ireland as the network enters its 11th month as the No. 1 commercial kidsnet in the UK.
“I am incredibly excited to be joining Nickelodeon and to be working within the kids’ market. Nickelodeon is a powerhouse brand with world-renowned programming and properties,” said Feistauer. “Nickelodeon UK & Ireland are in an impressive competitive position, growing share over the last year and broadcasting some of the biggest kids’ series in the UK. I am looking forward to joining the team to take the network even further and grow audiences across the company’s platforms.”
During her time at Scripps, Feistauer led all program functions for nine channel feeds — including Travel Channel, Food Network, HGTV and Fine Living. Under her, Travel Channel UK more than doubled its audience share since 2015; and audiences grew across the portfolio. Feistauer previously held key positions at Discovery Networks and NBC Networks International.
