Andrea Downing, President, PBS Distribution

Andrea Downing leads PBS Distribution, the global commercial distributor of public media content, overseeing the expansion and monetization of critically acclaimed films from Ken Burns, hit drama series from Masterpiece, popular PBS Kids programming and award-winning documentaries.

Downing has been a driving force behind PBS Distribution’s growth in the streaming era, launching seven subscription channels on Amazon Prime Video and building a portfolio of FAST channels including PBS Antiques Roadshow, PBS Nature, PBS Travel and PBS Food. These initiatives are delivered through strategic partnerships with major platforms such as Roku, Samsung, Prime Video and Pluto TV.

Under her leadership, PBS Distribution has scaled a fully multiplatform business spanning subscription and ad-supported streaming, transactional VOD, physical media, theatrical releases, educational licensing, international linear channels including PBS America and inflight entertainment—bringing public media to audiences across evolving viewing environments.

Previously, Downing served as vice president of home entertainment and partnerships at PBS and held leadership roles at Discovery Communications. She is an alumna of Michigan State University and currently serves as a Board Officer of DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group.