SkyShowtime, the European broadcast joint venture between Comcast and Paramount Global, has hired Roberto Soto as chief strategy officer and Walt Disney Co. John Heinemann as General Counsel.
Both will join the company later this year and will report to SkyShowtime CEO Monty Sarhan, the company said Wednesday.
Soto served at HBO Max as Senior Vice President and Head of Growth Marketing for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), leading the marketing, public relations, subscriber acquisition, customer relationship management and analytics teams. growth, and leading the launch of the streamer in all markets. . In his newly created role, “Soto will lead the development and execution of SkyShowtime’s strategy, working closely with all teams across the organization” and will be based in Amsterdam, the company said.
Prior to joining HBO Max, Soto held senior growth marketing, product, business development, strategy and distribution roles at Paramount Global, formerly ViacomCBS, Fox International Channels and Liberty Global. He also worked at the streaming company Mubi and Tribes Media.
“Roberto’s diverse experience in sports and entertainment streaming services, including multiple European releases, puts him in a unique position to help define our company’s strategy and execute it across the organization,” said Sarhan. “It will be crucial to making SkyShowtime the next big streaming service for Europe.”
Soto said, “I am delighted to be joining SkyShowtime and look forward to working with Monty and his team to create a unique, premium branded entertainment offering – a combination of iconic, high-quality content from a portfolio of world-leading studios. and an intuitive visual experience that European audiences will love.”
SkyShowtime said it will launch in 22 markets later this year. These include Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. The territories cover 90 million homes. Earlier this year, the partners received regulatory approval for the broadcaster.
Meanwhile, Heinemann, a five-year Disney veteran, joins SkyShowtime, most recently serving as Associate General Counsel for Scandinavia, the Baltics, and the Middle East and North Africa. At Disney, the executive was part of the team that launched Disney+ internationally, negotiating multi-year agreements in Europe and MENA.
At SkyShowtime, he will serve as Chief Legal Officer, “acting as a strategic advisor to the leadership team and the board of directors, while overseeing the entire legal function, including business and transactional affairs, compliance, regulatory affairs, privacy and data protection. data”. , content licensing and distribution,” the company said. Heinemann will work closely with SkyShowtime’s distribution and partnership teams, “where your experience in launching and distributing Disney+ in the same territories will be critical,” it added.
Prior to joining Disney, he worked at Fox Networks Group, BBC Studios and Viasat Broadcasting. “In addition to his excellent legal skills, John also brings business acumen and strategic thinking,” said Sarhan. “He knows our markets and understands what it takes to start a successful streaming service. I know he will be a trusted advisor to the entire leadership team.”
Heinemann said: “These are exciting times for streaming services and with SkyShowtime’s exceptional content offering, it is poised to become a major player across Europe. I look forward to supporting Monty and his team on their SkyShowtime adventure.”
Source: Hollywood Reporter
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