by Thinus Ferreira
MultiChoice's Showmax streamer, struggling with an embarrassing and constant exit of top execs over the last few years, has also kept the exit of Allan Sperling, its executive head of content, a secret - with Sperling now surfacing after 7 months as Warner Bros. Discovery's group vice president of programming, networks and streaming for the Nordics.
Allan Sperling who had oversight of Showmax content production until the end of April, will now oversee programming and operations for Warner Bros Discovery's channel portfolio in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland.
He will also lead the development of local Nordic productions for WBD's video streaming service Max.
Showmax that continues to struggle with a highly embarrassing revolving door of top executives didn't announce Allan Sperling's exit to South Africa's film and TV industry when he left at the end of April 2024.
In August, TVwithThinus reported that M-Net and kykNET's Nicola van Niekerk was upped as Showmax acting content boss while continuing in her role as M-Net's head of premium content and co-productions.
Even in August Showmax didn't want to say that Nicola van Niekerk taking on acting content boss duties for Showmax was due to Allan Sperling exit.
MultiChoice continues to struggle with constant instability on Showmax top executive level which is now once again losing its CEO as well just months after the relaunch of the so-called ""Showmax 2.0" with Comcast's NBCUniversal.
MultiChoice South Africa CEO and Showmax CEO Marc Jury has resigned and will exit his Showmax CEO role in four months' time by the end of March 2025.
Marc Jury was forced to take over as interim Showmax CEO besides his MultiChoice SA CEO responsibilities just a year and two months ago after the abrupt departure of Yolisa Phahle as Showmax CEO in September 2023.
Just a month later in October 2023 Barry Dubovsky was out as Showmax chief operating officer (COO), with Joe Heshu quickly moved into the role as a stop-gap measure.
In August 2022 MultiChoice lost Candice Fangueiro as Showmax content boss who decided to jump to Amazon Studios and Amazon Prime Video in August 2022 to head up the creation and development of local content there although that initiative crashed and burned after less than two years.
MultiChoice and SHowmax also kept the exit of John Kotsaftis a secret to the industry and the media when the founder and first Showmax CEO left at the end of 2017.
Over all of the Showmax executive exits hangs the aggressive buyout attempt by Vivendi SE's Canal+ in France that wants to take over MultiChoice.
The erratic Showmax turnstile leadership at this point must definitely not just be a massive point of concern for MultiChoice and partner Comcast but also for Canal+ which will very likely bring and make for yet another round of executive changes within Showmax if its buyout is approved in 2025.
