The appointment follows Multichoice’s partnership with Sky parent Comcast, which now holds 30% of the business.
Multichoice Group has appointed former Sky executive Andrea Zappia as the Chairman of its streaming platform Showmax.
This appointment comes on the heels of MultiChoice’s partnership with Comcast, the parent company of Sky, which now holds a substantial 30% stake in Showmax. The collaboration is part of MultiChoice’s efforts to compete with major US streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
Zappia, a seasoned executive, played a pivotal role in shaping Sky Italia since joining in 2003, particularly after the acquisition of Telepiu. His leadership journey at Sky includes serving as CEO of Sky Italia in 2011 and later expanding his role in 2018 to Chief Executive Officer, Continental Europe, overseeing Sky’s operations in Italy, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. In 2020, he assumed the position of Sky’s Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer, New Markets and Businesses.
Zappia’s career trajectory includes early roles at multinational company Procter & Gamble, followed by significant positions such as Global Sales and Marketing Director for Ferrari and Maserati and Vice President of Marketing and Product Development worldwide at Fila before joining Sky.
The strategic relaunch of Showmax is scheduled for February, marking a significant moment in MultiChoice’s bid to enhance its streaming service and expand its reach in the African market under the guidance of Andrea Zappia.
