Comcast and Paramount Global’s joint venture Sky Showtime has poached a former Disney executive to lead its business initiatives.
On Monday, the service said it hired Hristina Georgieva to the role of chief business officer. Georgieva will report to Monty Sarhan, Sky Showtime’s chief executive.
Georgieva worked as the vice president of affiliate distribution and commercial development at Disney, where she oversaw the expansion of streaming service Disney Plus into Europe, the Middle East and Africa. At Sky Showtime, she will build on this work to push the Comcast and Paramount joint venture into other parts of the world.
“I am excited to welcome Hristina to the Sky Showtime leadership team,” Sarhan said in a statement on Monday. “Over her career, she has established an impressive track record as a skilled deal maker. She is uniquely qualified to lead our Distribution & Partnerships function across Europe. With Sky Showtime now live across all markets, her extensive experience in expanding distribution and delivering revenue will help drive Sky Showtime’s next phase of growth.”
During her career as a media executive, Georgieva also held roles with Fox Corporation and Discovery Communications, where she oversaw development and expansion into the European and Middle Eastern regions.
“I am thrilled to join Sky Showtime, particularly at such an exciting point of their adventure, having only recently completed their European rollout,” Georgieva said in a statement. “I am looking forward to working together with Monty and the Sky Showtime team to grow the business, forge new partnerships with distributors and partners, and help to bring their iconic, high-quality entertainment to more audiences.”
Sarhan also announced Sky Showtime had hired two other executives away from competing streaming services. Brett Horowitz, who previously worked in a data and insights role at HBO Max, will join Sky Showtime as its vice president of commercial strategy. Anazia Budhwar, a former Netflix executive, will serve as Sky Showtime’s director of content strategy.
“Along with Hristina, these hires show that Sky Showtime is becoming a magnet for talent throughout Europe,” Sarhan affirmed. “Across the organisation, I’m extremely proud of the team we are assembling. And since joining last year, Roberto has done a great job in building a strong strategy function. Brett and Anazia bolster his team further, bringing streaming expertise and growing our capabilities in key areas.”
Sky Showtime was announced in August 2021, and incorporates content from Comcast’s Peacock streaming service as well as that of Paramount Plus. The service is intended for markets where Paramount and Comcast do not have a significant media presence, and operates using the same technology stack that powers Peacock in the United States.
