James Ross’ Lightning hires distribution director

Lightning International has recruited Julien Dutronc as director of TV distribution

Lightning is the Hong Kong-based channels and programme distributor run by former ITV Studios and Bloomberg executive James Ross. The company distributes channels and content into Asia from partners including Lagardere and Trace.

Dutronc joins the company from TV5 Monde where he managed channel distribution and affiliate sales and marketing for Asia.

At Lightning International he will be based in Hong Kong and oversee the rollout of the channels including Trace Sport Stars HD, Trace Urban HD, and Lagardere’s Mezzo Live HD.

Dutronc said: “I am proud to oversee the next phase of growth for the company’s channels and I look forward to more brands joining our portfolio in the next few months.”