Pan-regional broadcaster KidsCo has hired former Disney and ESPN executives to facilitate the company’s expansion into the European market.

Loïc Autret has been hired as GM of global distribution, where he will extend the channel’s presence in Western Europe, Canada, the US, Latin America, Japan and China. The former Disney exec will also work to consolidate the channel’s presence in Central Eastern Europe, Russia and Asia Pacific.

As global head of sales and marketing, Chris Nicholls will oversee KidsCo’s global advertising and sponsorship, instigating localized media opportunities, pan-regional sponsorships and advertiser-funded programming across linear, IPTV and related media platforms. On top of distribution growth, Nicholls will also focus on maximising audience size and appealing to brands targeting kids and moms. Nicholls was formerly the group sales director at ESPN International

KidsCo is in the midst of increasing its focus on partnership deals with the larger pay-tv platforms, particularly across Western Europe.