Peter Iacono has been appointed president and managing director of ITV Worldwide.

Iacono joins the broadcaster from Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, where he held the post of acting president of international features.

"We’re delighted to be appointing someone of Peter’s calibre to this role," said ITV global content division managing director Dawn Airey. "ITV has a great track record in selling formats and programming into other territories, whether it’s Dancing on Ice in Russia, Saturday Night Takeaway in China or the hundreds of millions of people who have seen Prime Suspect worldwide.

"There is a real demand for UK content at the moment and this role will be critical in ensuring that we exploit maximum value in global markets from our programmes, formats, licences and merchandising."