New boss hints at Sky shakeup
Appointment of ‘transformational’ British leader could signal faster change at the pay TV firm. Tom Pullar-Strecker reports.
Business
Sky Television has passed over internal candidates and appointed a new boss from outside the business in a sign major changes could be coming at the pay-television broadcaster.
Sky has appointed ‘‘international media sector operator’’ Martin Stewart – a Briton currently living in Dubai – to replace former boss John Fellet, describing Stewart as a ‘‘transformational’’ leader.
Sky spokeswoman Chris Major said a contract was finalised on Sunday night.
The appointment comes as telecommunications company Spark steps up its assault on Sky Sport by competing for locally produced sports, as it prepares to launch a new sports streaming service early next year.
Stewart has previously headed OSN, which Sky described as the leading pay TV network in the Middle East, and was chief financial officer of Sky in Britain when it launched its digital platform in a move that doubled its subscriber base in four years.
Sky said he had also led the successful turnaround of Ono, a telecommunications operator in Spain that is now part of Vodafone. In a statement, Stewart said he was ‘‘excited at the opportunity to lead Sky as it continues its transformation from a traditional broadcaster to a multi-platform entertainment business’’.
‘‘Sky has an exceptional sport offering that covers the sports that New Zealanders love to watch, an unrivalled line-up of entertainment content, and it serves over 760,000 New Zealanders,’’ Stewart said.
‘‘Sky is in a good place to take advantage of the opportunities that increased internet connectivity is offering, while retaining its important strategic position of being able to deliver content, particularly live sport, to 100 per cent of the country.’’
Stewart will start the job on February 21. Fellet, who has personally negotiated many of Sky’s broadcasting rights, will remain on Sky’s board.
Stewart was chairman of the audit committee for the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games in 2012, and was also chief financial officer of the Football Association.