Sky Italia MD and programming chief to leave

Maximo Ibarra

Sky Italia’s MD Maximo Ibarra and programming chief Nicola Maccanico are set to leave the Comcast-owned pay TV operator.

The exits come after Sky Italia failed to win rights to the Serie A football league, losing out to streaming service DAZN.

Ibarra had been at the helm since 2019 but is leaving in July to join Italian tech firm Engineering Ingegneria Informatica, while Maccanico will run the government-owned film operation Instituto Luce-Cinecitta.

Sky’s EVP and CEO in the UK and Europe, Stephen van Rooyen, is in temporary charge of Italian operations until replacements are found.

The departures come ahead of Sky’s plans to cut staff numbers in Italy by up to a quarter in a bid to save more than $350m.