Social TV startup Grabyo hires Sky product development chief as CEO

Gareth Capon

London-based video clip sharing platform Grabyo has hired BSkyB product development director Gareth Capon as its new CEO.

At Sky Capon led social TV initiatives including the companion screen experience for tablet and mobile for Sky8 Sports as well as its investment in Zeebox.

“The broadcast industry is now seeing a new content format open up around real time video,” said Capon. “It is highly significant as its solves broadcasters’ strategic challenge of owning and monetising the social conversation around TV.”

Grabyo, which launched last year, has worked with broadcasters including Channel 5 and Setanta on popular TV formats.

The startup has recently upgraded its platform to incorporate a range of features to optimise broadcasters’ content rights across Twitter and Facebook in addition to their own web and mobile properties.

“I am really excited that Gareth has joined the team. He brings a wealth of experience in mobile and social TV, and his decision to take on this role really demonstrates the potential in this new space,” said Grabyo founder Will Neale. “His appointment will not only drive revenue growth but will also enable us to accelerate the development of our world-leading platform for real-time clip sharing.”