YouView is looking for its third chairman in three years after Lord Sugar announced he was stepping down from the role.
His departure follows a reportedly acrimonious meeting with the Channel 5 executive Richard Desmond, though it had been known for some time that The Apprentice host had been looking to leave the venture.
Lord Sugar, the founder of set-top box manufacturer Amstrad, joined the PSB-Telco led broadband project two years ago. He was brought in to replace the former Ofcom executive Kip Meek and drive forward the project that had suffered from a series of delays.
The product was finally launched last July, ahead of the London Olympics, though without meaningful numbers in the shops. The launch by BT and TalkTalk, which has just begun its own TV advertising campaign for the product, has put YouView in an estimated 200,000+ homes.
In a statement YouView said Lord Sugar has been instrumental in the successful launch of an award-winning product and YouView is now the fastest growing TV platform in the UK.
Lord Sugar said, “When I joined YouView in 2011, my brief from the shareholders was to use my experience in the electronics industry to get the product to market and into the homes of consumers. Having done that successfully, my job is complete and I will now focus my time and attention into my other businesses.
A replacement for Lord Sugar will be announced shortly.
