LIVING TV Group’s MD Steps Down

LONDON: Johnny Webb, who has served as the managing director of the LIVING TV Group for four years, is exiting the company at the end of January 2011.

Webb became MD at the end of 2006, when the company was called Flextech Television. The LIVING TV Group, which was formerly known as Virgin Media Television under the ownership of Virgin Media, was purchased by BSkyB in June. It is now in the process of being integrated with Sky’s entertainment operations, under the leadership of Sophie Turner Laing.

Webb commented of his departure: “With the sale of the LIVING TV Group completed and integration steaming ahead, now is the perfect time to move on to new challenges. I’m immensely proud to have built a creative and commercial culture that has grown LIVING into one of the U.K.’s pay-TV powerbrands. I can’t wait to see where Sophie and her team take LIVING next.”

Laing, Sky’s managing director of entertainment, news and broadcast operations, added: “I would like to thank Johnny for his guardianship of some of the most compelling channel brands in the pay firmament and for playing a vital role in the integration of the Living TV Group into Sky. His leadership and energy have been key to making this all happen. I wish him every success for the future.”

Webb started his career with Unilever, before moving to The Family Channel. He later relaunched the service as Challenge TV and took over responsibility for UK Living, rebranding it as Living. Prior to his appointment as MD, Webb was the director of programming for Bravo and Challenge.