LONDON — U.K. pay TV giant BSkyB said Friday that content chief Sophie Turner Laing would step down later this year.
She has been serving as managing director of content at the company, in which Rupert Murdoch‘s 21st Century Fox owns a 39 percent stake. The former BBC executive has worked at the firm for 11 years.
As content chief, she has been responsible for BSkyB’s portfolio of entertainment, movie and news channels, as well as its studios and production services. She has also overseen the international distribution of channels shows.
“Sophie has been with Sky for 11 years, during which she has been fundamental to the creative and commercial development of Sky’s content business,” the company said. “She has led the expansion of its portfolio of entertainment channels, with the launch of Sky Atlantic, Sky Living and Sky Arts, and the growing breadth and quality of its programs, including its groundbreaking partnership with HBO and its increased commitment to original British production.”
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Said BSkyB CEO Jeremy Darroch: “I would like to thank Sophie for her outstanding leadership and for the tremendous job she’s done developing our content business. With the support of an excellent team, Sophie has helped us to make a step change in the scale and ambition of our entertainment offering.”
Potentially signaling possible content collaborations in the future, he added: “Sophie will leave with all of our best wishes, and I am pleased that she will continue to have a close relationship with Sky in the future. I’m confident that the strong foundations that Sophie has put in place, together with the strong team here at Sky, will enable us to take the business to even greater heights in the future.”
Turner Laing said: “I have had the most fabulous career at Sky. As a passionate believer in creative change, it is now someone else’s turn to drive the next phase of growth in content at Sky. I have been hugely privileged and honored to work with such brilliant colleagues across the company.”
BSkyB said it would launch “a thorough recruitment process and announce the appointment of Sophie’s successor in due course.”
Turner Laing joined BSkyB in March 2003 from the BBC, where she held a number of senior roles, including acting director of television.
Email: Georg.Szalai@THR.com
Twitter: @georgszalai
