Sunday, June 05, 2022

SkyShowtime Names NBCU Alum Raquel Berzosa As General Manager for Iberia

Pan-European streamer SkyShowtime has made its latest senior exec addition, this time naming the service’s regional general manager for Iberia.


Raquel Berzosa joins the Paramount+ and Comcast-backed streamer having most recently been VP of affiliate sales & country lead for Comcast sibling NBCUniversal (NBCU) in Iberia.

Prior to that, she had been a director of affiliate sales at NBCU in the region, working across commercial and distribution, having first joined the company in 2000.

She has held roles including finance & distribution director during her two decades with the firm and before that was a commercial analyst at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.

Expanding exec empire

Berzosa’s arrival is the latest in-house hire for SkyShowtime, which was first revealed in mid-2021 and will offer TV, movies and original series from Comcast duo NBCU and Sky, as well as Paramount.

The service will be made available across 20 territories in Europe that are outside the reach of Sky, Paramount+ and NBCU’s Peacock. These include Spain, the Nordics and a swathe of CEE countries, with former Comcast Cable exec Monty Sarhan appointed as SkyShowtime’s CEO in January to lead the roll-out.

Sarhan unveiled his senior management team in March, including the appointment of former Paramount+ exec Henriette Petersen as regional GM for Northern Europe and Gabor Harsanyi in CEE.

On the Paramount side, the service will house series from the likes of Billions network Showtime, SpongeBob’s Nickelodeon and Paramount Pictures, while NBCU will provide IP from Universal Pictures and its own streamer, Peacock, as well as content from Comcast stablemate Sky, which is behind originals such as I Hate Suzie.

The news follows reports that the streamer is also interviewing for a head of content to oversee the streamer’s entire content offering. A number of candidates are believed to be discussing the role, which will have to juggle the rights demands of two US studios in NBCU and Paramount, as well as the considerable programming output from NBCU sibling Sky.


Original source: TBI Vision.
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Comcast & Paramount Seeking SkyShowtime Head of Content

Comcast and Paramount’s soon-to-launch streamer SkyShowtime is on the look-out for a head of content with a remit that will rival some of the biggest roles in Europe, TBI Vision is reporting.


SkyShowtime was first revealed in mid-2021 and will offer TV, movies and original series from NBCUniversal (NBCU), Sky and Paramount to subscribers in 20 countries across Europe.

It is being targeted at markets outside the reach of Sky, Paramount+ and NBCU’s Peacock – including Spain, the Nordics and a swathe of CEE countries – and is led by former Comcast Cable exec Monty Sarhan, who was appointed CEO in January.

Sarhan unveiled his senior management team in March, including the appointment of regional chiefs in CEE and Northern Europe, but it's understand that the streamer is now looking to add an additional senior exec who will report into the CEO and oversee all content across the region.

Remit & reach

A number of candidates are believed to be discussing the role, which will have to juggle the rights demands of two US studios in NBCU and Paramount, as well as the considerable programming output from NBCU sibling Sky.

The position is likely to be out of London, where Sarhan is based, and will need to stock the service with shows across genres ranging from dramas, docs and kids & family, as well as key franchises from the three companies’ portfolios.

Local programming will also be incorporated into the offering for the streamer, which received regulatory approval in February – but the position will require someone with serious negotiating skills, with rights for shows coming from such a multitude of sources.

On the Paramount side, the service will house series from the likes of SpongeBob’s Nickelodeon, Billions network Showtime, and Paramount Pictures, as well as originals from Paramount+, which has recently ordered dramas such as The Ex-Wife and unscripted series LA Hairdressers (working title) through its UK base.

Global sales rights to those two shows are both being handled by independent distributors, however – Night Train Media and Endeavor Content, respectively – underlining the complexity of securing rights to shows commissioned from within the group.

NBCU, meanwhile, will provide IP from Universal Pictures and its own streamer, Peacock, as well as content from Comcast stablemate Sky, which is behind originals such as I Hate Susie to The Tattooist of Auschwitz. Execs have previously confirmed that SkyShowtime will only be available in markets where Peacock and Paramount+ do not operate.

Senior team structure

SkyShowtime has to date drawn its senior team from within: former Paramount+ exec Henriette Petersen is regional GM for Northern Europe and Gabor Harsanyi took the same role in Central and Eastern Europe.

Petersen was director of marketing and helped to launch Paramount+ in the Nordics, which is to close to make way for SkyShowtime. She will lead the distribution and partnership team and work closely on marketing and content in the region.

Harsanyi, meanwhile, is also from the Paramount side, where he had been GM for CEE, Austria and Switzerland. His remit includes working across business development and negotiation of SkyShowtime partnerships in the region.

Other appointments to date have seen NBCU and Peacock exec Josh Snow taking the chief product officer role (SkyShowtime is based on NBCU’s Peacock), while Sky duo Francesca Pierce and Jen McAleer are CFO and chief brand officer respectively. Fellow NBCU alum Richard Howard joined as chief marketing officer, having been SVP of marketing for the US studio’s international reality steamer Hayu.

Snow, Pierce and McAleer report into Sarhan, while Howard reports into McAleer.

A SkyShowtime spokesperson declined to comment on specifics but told TBI: “We’re recruiting for a number of roles across departments ahead of our launch later this year.”

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The Frontier Awaits | Star Trek: Strange New Worlds | Paramount Plus UK

The Frontier Awaits. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, streaming 22nd June on Paramount+ UK & Ireland! Visit ParamountPlus.com for more information.


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Paramount+ UK & Ireland | Promo | Launches 22nd June

Paramount+ UK & Ireland | Promo | Launches 22nd June


A Mountain of Entertainment. Launches 22nd June.



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Paramount Plus Turns to NCA for UK Streaming Service Launch

Paramount is launching its streaming service Paramount+ in the UK & Ireland and has picked New Commercial Arts (NCA) to handle the launch. NCA beat Who Wot Why, VCCP and The Brooklyn Brothers in a pitch handled by AAR. Paramount+ launches in the UK and Ireland on June 22.


NCA has been briefed on developing a campaign for Paramount+ that raises awareness of the service and drives subscriptions. The work will run across TV, out of home, digital and social media.

Paramount CMO Anna Priest says: “NCA has a track record of creating big, populist, hugely effective campaigns that work as moments in culture. Their strategic rigour and creative chops, coupled with a hugely collaborative approach, has meant we are creating a launch campaign worthy of the phenomenal service we are about to introduce to the market.”

Paramount is a leading global media and entertainment company that creates premium content and experiences for audiences worldwide. Driven by iconic consumer brands, its portfolio includes CBS, Showtime Networks, Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, BET, Paramount+, Pluto TV and Simon & Schuster, among others.


The company launched Paramount+ in the US last year and is currently rolling out the service in Europe and around the world. The streaming service is currently available in the US, Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Nordics and Australia.

In the UK, Ireland, Italy, Germany and Austria Paramount+ will be available through Sky and free for customers that have Sky Cinema. For everyone else it will cost £6.99 following a one-week free trial.

As well as launching in the UK and Ireland next month, the platform is also rolling out across South Korea, Italy, Germany, France, Switzerland and Austria this year. 

James Murphy, chief executive and founder of NCA, said: "We are proud that Paramount has entrusted us with such an important and high-profile launch. Paramount+ will be an exciting addition to the streaming market and we will deliver a launch to do that justice."

Paramount+ will air shows including Paw Patrol, the Star Trek franchise, and South Park, as well as originals such as Halo, based on the hit video game franchise. 

Last week NCA won Nando’s. Founded in 2020, it already handles Halifax, MoneySuperMarket, Habitat (now owned by Sainsbury’s), Alzheimer’s Society and some Vodafone international work.

For more information about Paramount+ UK & Ireland, visit ParamountPlus.com.


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