ITV_logo_51289867Not unexpected given that he’s been feeling out jobs back home in America for quite some time. Lee Bartlett, who has run ITV’s production arm for the last two years, will step down next month. He was widely believed to be living on borrowed time after Kevin Lygo was appointed managing director of ITV Studios. Bartlett was being moved sideways. Lygo joins the broadcaster on August 2. Remy Blumenfield, who was Bartlett’s choice as director of global formats, is also leaving. Blumenfield has not come up with any widely-exported formats, while ITV Studios’ share of network output has fallen to 43% during his tenure.

ITV Studios has hired Disney executive Maria Kyriacou to run Global Entertainment, its distribution and sales operation. Kyriacou was senior vice-president of digital media distribution EMEA at Disney. She joins ITV in September. Bartlett was poached from Fox in March 2008 to become ITV Studios chief operating officer. He was promoted to managing director after Dawn Airey left to run Five the next month.

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