Paramount Global/Comcast JV SkyShowtime has snapped up an HBO Max and Walt Disney exec to lead on strategy and legal.
Roberto Soto, HBO Max Senior Vice President and Head of Growth Marketing for EMEA, joins as Chief Strategy Officer for the soon-to-launch platform, which will roll out to 22 smaller territories and a potential 90M homes in Europe later this year that aren’t getting Paramount+ or Comcast-owned Peacock.
Soto led marketing, PR and strategy on HBO Max’s roll-out in Iberia, the Nordics, Netherlands, Poland, and Central and Eastern Europe, territories that HBO Max has since pulled commissioners and shows away from. Past employers include Paramount Global, Fox International Channels and Liberty Global.
Meanwhile, John Heinemann, Disney Associate Principal Counsel for Nordics, Baltics and MENA, becomes General Counsel of SkyShowtime and will serve as chief legal officer and strategic advisor to the leadership team and board. During his stint with the Mouse House, he negotiated multi-year agreements for Disney+ around the world.
Both will repot into SkyShowtime CEO Monty Sarhan, who praised Soto’s “diverse experience across entertainment and sports streaming services, including multiple launches throughout Europe” and said Heinemann brings “formidable legal skills, business acumen and a strategic mindset.”
Former BBC Studios Head of Programming John Farrar was recently unveiled as Head of Programming for the streamer that will combine the catalogs of Paramount and Comcast in the 22 territories.
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