As MD of Global Entertainment Matt Forde is responsible for overseeing a global award-winning network of producers and indie partnerships, creating, selling, and adapting the best shows and brands from the UK as well as the next generation of hit shows for global audiences.

Matt Forde has a wealth of commercial and creative experience having worked in both Europe and North America and through leading international teams in both sales and production.  From October 2018 to October 2024 he served as Managing Director, International Production & Formats at BBC Studios, responsible for BBC Studios’ international production bases and global formats business outside of the UK – including the USA, France, Germany, Australia, India, South Africa and the Nordics.

From 2016-2018 he headed up the BBC Studios’ Los Angeles Production office, where he led the development of the Dancing with the Stars brand, extending it into spin-offs Dancing with the Stars Athletes and Dancing with the Stars Juniors for ABC, as well as overseeing the multi-Emmy® award-winning franchise Life Below Zero for National Geographic Channel.  The Los Angeles unscripted team produces the hit game show Weakest Link, Top Gear America and When Nature Calls with Helen Mirren, all based on UK formats.  

In 2018, Forde secured a co-production partnership with Lionsgate Television to identify, co-develop and co-fund scripted formats and original intellectual property for the U.S. market. This has led to two Network commissions - Ghosts on CBS and Welcome to Flatch on FOX, inspired by the BAFTA-winning UK format This Country. 

Prior to working in Los Angeles, Forde was Executive Vice President, Co-Productions, Sales and Digital Distribution for BBC Worldwide Americas, where he played an integral role in rapidly growing the company’s business across the U.S., Latin America, and Canada. He was at the forefront of developing longstanding relationships with Netflix, Hulu, Apple, and Amazon, amongst others, overseeing early co-production deals with Hulu on shows like The Wrong Mans and bringing Happy Valley exclusively to Netflix in the U.S. Before working in America, Forde ran the commercial relationship between BBC Productions and BBC Worldwide and was originally part of BBC Worldwide’s Indie Unit.