ViacomCBS Networks UK has appointed Sarah Rose as Chief Operating Officer, responsible for the day-to-day running of ViacomCBS' business in the UK. She will report into Maria Kyriacou, President, ViacomCBS Networks UK and Australia.
At ViacomCBS Networks UK, she will have oversight of all UK business functions including operations, legal and business affairs, finance, HR, communications, research, broadcasting technology and ViacomCBS International Studios (VIS) UK. Working alongside Director of Programmes, Ben Frow and Chief Commercial Officer, Arran Tindall, Rose will also play an important role in strategic planning across ViacomCBS’ UK channel portfolio, which includes free-to-air network Channel 5 and pay TV brands Nickelodeon, MTV and Comedy Central. Externally, Rose will be responsible for managing industry and regulatory relationships, including with UK media regulator Ofcom.
Rose joins ViacomCBS from Channel 4, where she was most recently Chief Consumer and Strategy Officer, responsible for Corporate Strategy, Consumer Insight and Data Science. She previously worked in a number of roles across the business, joining originally to launch Channel 4’s groundbreaking VOD service (All4), then moving on to lead Commercial and Business Development before becoming Director of Consumer Insight.
Rose started her career at ITV, where she progressed to General Manager of ITV Digital Channels, responsible for digital channels ITV2, ITV3 and ITV4.
Kyriacou commented: “Sarah has a wealth of expertise in broadcast media and proven experience in successfully driving companies forward. This is a key role in our UK senior leadership team, overseeing the entirety of our operations and ensuring that we function at optimum efficiency. I’m delighted to welcome her on board at what is an exciting time for the business, as we continue to evolve our offering in a fast-moving media landscape.”
Rose said: “I have loved my time at Channel 4 from the first minute to the last, but am ready for a new challenge and I am so excited to have the opportunity to join a business of ViacomCBS’ international stature, and to help steer the growth of its iconic channel and digital brands in the UK.”
Rose's arrival is the latest management change at ViacomCBS, which has been extensively restructuring following the merger of Viacom and CBS late last year.
Earlier this month it was announced that Paul Dunthorne, the long-time Channel 5 executive, was stepping down as ViacomCBS’s COO and EVP UK of Northern and Eastern Europe.
A slew of senior execs have already departed at ViacomCBS’s US operations, with Smithsonian Channel’s president Tom Hayden among those leaving, while the company has also restructured much of its international business, which included breaking its ViacomCBS Networks International (VCNI) group into two brand divisions and three pan-regional management hubs.
Other UK-based departures included the exit of Jill Offman, the former Comedy Central exec who was most recently EVP of VIS UK, a role she took up earlier this year as part of an earlier restructure and following the arrival of Maria Kyriacou as president of ViacomCBS Networks UK & Australia.
Rose’s appointment comes as ViacomCBS looks to retain more rights to its programming as it prepares to roll out a new ‘house of brands’ streaming service in 2021.
The company initially announced plans to launch a large-scale streamer comparable to the likes of HBO Max and Netflix in February, but CEO Bob Bakish shed further light on the planned SVOD earlier this year, describing it as a “super service” that will be a relaunch of CBS All Access with 15,000 hours of new Viacom and CBS programming in addition to CBS All Access’ existing 15,000 hours.
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Sources: Televisual, TBI Vision, C21 Media, Deadline, Digital TV Europe.
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