Long-standing Sky executive Gary Davey is to step down from his role as chief executive of production arm Sky Studios by next summer.
In a memo issued to staff, Davey said he would continue to lead the team until a successor had been appointed.
He first joined Sky at the launch of the four-channel service via Astra in 1989.
“I wanted to let you know that I have decided to step down as CEO of Sky Studios in 2021. When we launched Sky Studios last June, I could not have dreamed where we would be right now. And I don’t just mean Covid 19. In 18 short months, we have created a strong, creative organisation that has broken the mould of how studio businesses work in Europe.
“We have produced ambitious, original series that are loved by our customers and viewers around the world. The fact that nine of the top 10 shows viewed on Sky in the UK this year are Sky Originals, speaks for itself. At the same time, this year we have delivered 29 series to 15 US networks and platforms.”
Davey admitted that while not every show had been a hit, he did not regret any of the decisions he had taken.
In responsem Sky Group CEO Jeremy Darroch had praise for the long-standing executive. “He has uniquely worked across all of our markets, having led the successful launch of Sky Italia’s terrestrial TV network, Cielo, in 2009 before joining Sky Deutschland as executive VP, programming in 2011. Gary returned to Sky UK in 2015 as managing director of content, transforming our push into bold, original programming, and in 2019 took on a new challenge as CEO of Sky Studios.”