£ IN THE MONEY

Jeremy Darroch, 55 Chief executive, Sky

SKY boss Jeremy Darroch saw his annual pay packet more than treble to £16.3m last year, despite the Game of Thrones broadcaster announcing a hefty drop in profits.

The TV giant’s annual report shows Darroch received nearly £12m as part of Sky’s long-term incentive plan, which vests every two years.

This came on top of his £1m base salary, a £22,000 benefits allowance, a £157,000 pension allowance, and a £1.9m bonus.

Surrey resident Darroch, married with three children, earned £4.7m in 2016 and £17.9m in 2015. In July, he pocketed £11.5m in shares on the day Sky said profits were hit by hikes for broadcasting Premier League football.

It saw operating profits fall 6pc to £1.4bn over the period after it faced costs of £629m linked to its football deal. Finance chief Andrew Griffith, 46, earned £9.2m last year, up from £2.4m, boosted by £6.9m from Sky’s incentive plan.