Arqiva has merged its satellite broadcast business with its terrestrial broadcast division under the leadership of Nick Thompson, managing director, broadcast & media.
The changes see Steve Holebrook, who has managed Arqiva’s terrestrial business for the past five years, become managing director, government, mobile & enterprise, previously known as wireless and enterprise.
Group CEO Tom Bennie will also step aside once a replacement has been recruited.
Arqiva’s terrestrial business has doubled in size following the 2008 merger with National Grid Wireless. Elements of that business are still being integrated with Arqiva’s terrestrial operations that date back to the days of the Independent Television Authority.
“We’ve reached the point where the business can be looked at again having got through the process of putting them together,” an Arqiva spokesman told Broadband TV News. “We’ve been selling broadcast services into the sector from two divisions and that seemed to be unnecessarily complicated, certainly from the point of the customer.”
Satellite has also evolved through the acquisition of BT Broadcast Services and Kingston Inmedia. The expanded division will also include the online TV portal SeeSaw.
Chalfont-based Thomson will oversee a division that has operations in the UK, France, Italy, the Netherlands and the United States.
Arqiva is owned by a consortium of eight shareholder groups, the two largest being Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) with a 48% holding and Macquarie European Infrastructure Fund 2 (MEIF 2) with 21%.
