Sky Appoints Shirley Jones Head of Entertainment Commissioning Amid Restructure
Sky has appointed Shirley Jones as Head of Entertainment Commissioning, a newly created role, as part of a team restructure following the departure of Barbara Lee. Jones will oversee all entertainment programs and report to Phil Edgar Jones, Executive Director of Original Unscripted at Sky. The restructure aims to enhance Sky's original unscripted content strategy.
Key Takeaways
- Shirley Jones, previously responsible for shows like _The Dyers' Caravan Park_, is now Head of Entertainment Commissioning.
- The new role is part of a restructure following the exit of commissioning editor Barbara Lee after 14 years.
- Sky plans to hire for three new positions: development executive, development producer, and executive producer.
- Jones's recent success, _The Dyers' Caravan Park_, surpassed 1 million viewers for all episodes, becoming Sky's biggest entertainment launch in five years.
Why It Matters
Sky's creation of a dedicated Head of Entertainment Commissioning, filled by Shirley Jones, signals a focus on consolidating and enhancing its original unscripted programming slate. This internal promotion and accompanying restructure, including three new hires, reflects a strategic effort to build on recent successes like _The Dyers' Caravan Park_ while adapting to executive changes. For pay-TV providers, a strong original content pipeline is key to subscriber retention and growth, especially in competitive markets. Industry observers should monitor the performance of new commissions under Jones and the impact of the expanded unscripted team on Sky's content output and audience engagement metrics in the coming year.
Read full article at msn.com