FremantleMedia Enterprises appoints new Head of Gambling Division

The gambling division was initially launched as part of FremantleMedia Ventures by Head of Ventures, Paul Kanareck in 2008 as an internal start up and immediately gained traction. The success of the business to date has encouraged FremantleMedia to scale its investment in the gambling sector.

Simon will be responsible for the company’s online, land-based and mobile gambling initiatives. With over eight years gambling experience holding key roles with IGT WagerWorks and Million 2-1, a mobile gaming specialist acquired by IGT, he will be tasked with building FME’s  brand presence and distribution of multi-channel gambling related content.

Mel Alcock, CEO EMEA, FremantleMedia Enterprises said, “Now that the business is of sufficient scale, we believe it is ready to be integrated within FremantleMedia Enterprises which is the main commercial brand extension arm of FremantleMedia. We look forward to combining Simon’s experience and our expertise in extending major brands into cross platform entertainment.”

Paul Kanareck, Head of FremantleMedia Ventures said, “FremantleMedia has managed to build significant share in this exciting market in a very short period of time. Simon’s appointment signals our ambition to grow this business even further and become the leading supplier of branded content to premium operators across multiple channels.”

Already an industry leader in brand licensing, FremantleMedia has proven success of publishing and distributing games to operators such as, Rank Interactive, Ladbrokes, Betfair and Paddy Power. Longstanding iconic gaming brands in FremantleMedia’s portfolio include The X Factor, The Price Is Right, Family Fortunes, Baywatch amongst others with recent third party activity including numerous titles from MGM Studios such as Stargate, Robocop and Legally Blonde.