Illustration by Pixel Pusher; Getty Images (4); Courtesy of Subject (3) The international television industry has rarely faced a moment as unsettled as it does in 2025. Streaming consolidation, soaring production costs and the rapid rise of AI have forced executives to rethink business models and creative strategies. At the same time, political headwinds - from the rollback of diversity programs in the U.S. to battles over public funding in Europe - have tested the resilience of an industry built on inclusivity and storytelling. For the women on THR's 2025 list of the Most Powerful Women in International Television - all of whom are based abroad at least part-time - challenge and transformation go hand in hand. From Lagos to London, Munich to Mumbai, these executives are not only navigating upheaval but shaping what comes next. Related Stories Movies Luca Marinelli, Felix van Groeningen, Charlotte Vandermeersch Re-Team for 'Let Love In' News Jilly Cooper, Beloved British Author of 'Rutshire Chronicles,' Including 'Rivals' and 'Riders,' Dies at 88 Diversity, long a rallying cry for international television, has become a point of resistance against renewed skepticism in some markets. "Diversity isn't a program, it's reality," says Mo Abudu, CEO of Nigeria's EbonyLife Media, who is preparing to launch the African-focused streaming platform EbonyLife ON Plus and open EbonyLife Place London, a new cultural hub in the U.K. "Our stories don't need permission, they need opportunity." Laura Fernández Espeso, general director of Spain's Mediapro, calls diversity "not only a matter of social justice but also a strategic lever to drive creativity, innovation and competitiveness." For German pubcaster ZDF, inclusion is nonnegotiable: "Representing our diverse society - both in our content and in our workforce - will lead to better results and better programs," notes program director Nadine Bilke. For many executives, the fight over representation feels directly tied to the questions raised by AI: whose perspectives are amplified, whose voices are replaced and how creativity itself is defined. While concern over the technology is widespread, Kate Ward, managing director of unscripted at BBC Studios, urges the industry to embrace AI as "one of our greatest untapped creative collaborators - not an existential threat," pointing toward a future in which human creativity and machine intelligence coexist. But tools alone won't sustain the business. The real test is whether original programming can still cut through in a crowded marketplace. "Being able to commit to a brand-new series, not based on IP, with a two-season order requires a high level of creative risk-taking, too," says Cécile Frot-Coutaz, CEO of Sky Studios, pointing to bold bets like The Day of the Jackal and The Tattooist of Auschwitz. That risk-taking is paying off. Breakout titles are arriving from every corner of the globe: Netflix U.K.'s Brit coming-of-age hit Adolescence, RAI's lush Italian literary adaptation La Storia, All3Media's format juggernaut The Traitors, and German event dramas like Charité and Babylon Berlin. Asia is exporting some of the year's most talked-about programming, from the anime sensation Kaiju No. 8 on Crunchyroll to Korea's record-breaking Queen of Tears and Netflix's world-conquering Squid Game. Far from a market in retreat, these shows prove that international television is still capable of producing groundbreaking, culture-shaping series that travel across borders. As Jane Turton, CEO of All3Media, puts it: "Audiences' appetite for brilliant content has never been greater." Mo Abudu CEO, EbonyLife Media (NIGERIA) Abudu is doubling down on her mission to take African stories worldwide. The EbonyLife founder has launched EbonyLife ON Plus, a lifestyle-driven streaming service, and is preparing to open EbonyLife Place London, a cultural hub in the British capital that will include the U.K.'s first African-dedicated cinema, alongside spaces for food, fashion and live performance. The ventures build on her $50 million Afro Film Fund, designed to finance, distribute and monetize African content at scale. "Diversity isn't a program, it's reality," says Abudu. "Our stories don't need permission, they need opportunity." Maria Pia Ammirati Director, Rai Fiction (ITALY) Ammirati won over Italian critics with La Storia, a historic miniseries that looks at the experience of fascism through a female lens. The show was voted series of the year by the Italian national syndicate of film journalists. "I work in an ever-changing market that presents structural problems to contend with," notes Ammirati. "Well-capitalized global streamers entering the Italian market have forced everyone to raise their game," she adds, but "on the downside, we have experienced a growth in costs that is forcing us to maximize the yield of the available budgets without this being detrimental to the quality of the product." Claire Basini Deputy GM, TF1 Group (FRANCE) Bas