ViacomCBS UK new streaming partnerships unit

ViacomCBS Networks UK (VCN UK) has accelerated its streaming business with the launch of a new growth and partnerships division, tasked with increasing streaming revenue and expanding its range of partnerships in the UK.

The newly formed unit will be led by Dan Fahy, who has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Head of Emerging Business. Fahy will report to Sarah Rose, who takes on an expanded role as Chief Operating and Commercial Officer, VCN UK, with immediate effect. Rose will continue to report to Maria Kyriacou, President, ViacomCBS UK and Australia.

Fahy will spearhead a revenue growth strategy for all VCN UK streaming platforms, including Channel 5’s AVoD service, My5 and Pluto TV UK, which moves under UK management, having previously sat within a pan-EMEA team. He will oversee all aspects of the unit, bringing growth analytics, monetisation, growth marketing, customer experience and streaming partnership functions together in one cohesive and dedicated team.

Ashley Sennik has been appointed to Vice President, Growth, UK Streaming and Akhila Khanna has been promoted to Vice President, Partner Engagement & Business Development. Sennik, who joins VCN UK following a five-year stint at Sky UK’s Now TV, will be responsible for leading the newly created growth function across acquisition, engagement and monetization, whilst Khanna will be responsible for streaming partnerships and business development.

Sennik will jointly report to Fahy and Marco Nobili, Senior Vice President International Marketing & Growth, Streaming, VCN Americas and Khanna will jointly report to Fahy and Angela Heckman, Senior Vice President, Streaming Revenue and Operations, VCN International.

The growth and partnerships division aims tp drive monetisation across all of VCN UK’s streaming products, which in addition to its AVoD platforms My5 and Pluto TV, includes the SVoD mobile app, MTV Play and Nick Jr’s interactive learning app, Noggin.

Kyriacou said: “Sarah has made a significant impression in a short space of time and I’m delighted that she is taking on this expanded role within our UK senior leadership team.

Regarding Fahy’s appointment, Kyriacou added: “Streaming is a key priority for us and with Dan’s longstanding expertise in this area, he is well placed to drive forward our revenue growth strategy with this new team.”

Fahy commented: “By uniting all of our critical growth functions under one new and dedicated team, we’re ensuring that our platforms have the capabilities and resource needed to reach their full potential. I’m excited to be working alongside Ashley and Akhila, two extremely talented individuals, and the wider team, as we seek to accelerate our streaming potential.”

The announcement aligns with ViacomCBS Networks International’s focus on becoming a powerful global player in the streaming market. Most recently, it announced the launch dates for its supersized SVoD offering, Paramount+ in the US, Latin America, the Nordics and Australia. Paramount+ will be home to the best of ViacomCBS brands, with a deep library of reality, comedy and kids’ titles, in addition to first run and exclusive series. Advanced Television