SkyShowtime hires execs from Disney, Netflix and HBO Max

Former Disney executive Hristina Georgieva has been appointed as chief business officer at SkyShowtime, with HBO Max’s Brett Horowitz and Netflix’s Anazia Budhwar joining the newly formed strategy team. 

Georgieva will be based in the London office and will report to SkyShowtime CEO Monty Sarhan.

She will be tasked with leading the distribution & partnerships at SkyShowtime and have P&L responsibility for all B2B revenue.

Georgieva will also oversee and lead new business development and partnerships with cable, satellite, and telco distributors as well as platforms, device manufacturers, and other partners including retailers as well as consumer products and services.

At Disney, Georgieva served four years as VP for of affiliate distribution & commercial development. She was also a part of the team behind the launch of Disney+ across EMEA,  negotiating its first deals with cable, satellite, and telco partners including in many of SkyShowtime’s territories.

The chief has also held stints at Fox Networks Group and Discovery, here she led pan-European commercial strategies, partnerships, and distribution.

Brett Horowitz as vice president of commercial strategy and Anazia Budhwar as director of content strategy will report directly to chief strategy officer Roberto Soto.

Horowitz who joins from HBO Max, will be responsible for subscriber growth strategy across D2C and B2B segments and supporting the marketing and distribution & partnerships teams.

While, Budhwar will be working with SkyShowtime’s programming team to optimise acquisition and originals strategies and drive engagement. He served as strategy and planning lead for over three years at Netflix.

Sarhan said: “I am excited to welcome Hristina to the SkyShowtime leadership team. Over her career, she has established an impressive track record as a skilled dealmaker. She is uniquely qualified to lead our Distribution & Partnerships function across Europe. With SkyShowtime now live across all markets, her extensive experience in expanding distribution and delivering revenue will help drive SkyShowtime’s next phase of growth.”