Ladlow to head up Sky free channels

By Maisie McCabe, campaignlive.co.uk, Thursday, 16 August 2012 10:50AM

BSkyB has appointed Stephen Ladlow, currently the sponsorship controller at Sky Media, to the position of director of Challenge and Pick TV, its free-to-air TV stations.

Stephen Ladlow: responsible for programming and commercial direction

Ladlow will be responsible for both the programming and commercial direction of the channels. He will be charged with using his sponsorship experience to help advertisers innovate in how they use TV.

The game-show channel Challenge was acquired as part of Sky's purchase of Virgin Media Television in 2010, while Pick TV showcases content from Sky's entertainment channels such as Sky1.

Ladlow has been the sponsorship controller at Sky Media since 2010, leading the sale of sponsorship on Sky-owned channels and signing deals such as the BlackBerry sponsorship of Sky Atlantic.

Stuart Murphy, the director of programmes, Sky, said: "Stephen's love of TV and his expertise of working with brands in innovative ways is just the combination we've been looking for."

This article was first published on campaignlive.co.uk