In a surprise move long time MultiChoice executive and former head of SuperSport Marc Jury has tendered his resignation at Africa's largest pay TV provider, with effect from March 2025.
On Friday, the group said Jury would be stepping down after nearly 10 years at MultiChoice.
“Marc has decided to leave the group at end-March to pursue opportunities in the business of sport, a field that has always been close to his heart. While we are sad to see him go, we are immensely proud of the legacy he leaves behind and are grateful for the contributions he has made to the business,” group CEO Calvo Mawela said in a statement to staff.
No further details were given about Jury’s new role. This will likely be announced in the coming weeks., nor have new appointments been announced yet.
During his time, Jury has held a number of key leadership roles, including CEO of SuperSport and most recently CEO of MultiChoice SA and Showmax.
Jury, who has led MultiChoice SA since April 2023, is credited for having led Showmax through its relaunch at the start of the year, together with finalising agreements that have seen NBCUniversal taking a 30% stake in the streaming unit.
He also led the revamp of the group’s other streaming offering DStv Now, as well as cementing a deal that sees Capitec’s 12-million digital users having access to MultiChoice platforms at discounted rates, as a way to boost subscribers.
The TV executive will hand over the reins to Byron du Plessis, currently the deputy CFO for the group.
Du Plessis, who has been with the company for more than 13 years, was formerly CFO of MultiChoice Corporate and MultiChoice SA before that.
He takes the reins at a point that the group has described as being its worst in 40 years.
Last week, MultiChoice said that “unprecedented foreign exchange volatility” combined with macroeconomic challenges sent its annual profit, or adjusted earnings per share, nosediving from R1.5bn to R7m.
Subscriber numbers — measured on a 90-day active basis — fell 11% (or 1.8-million) to 19.3-million, from 21.7-million in the previous comparable period. In SA, the group has lost 400,000 customers from a year ago, with the biggest drop being in premium subscribers.
Du Plessis certainly has his work cut out for him at the group's home base.
“Byron has been pivotal in driving strategic initiatives and partnerships including the KingMakers, Comcast and Sanlam deals, as well as being instrumental in the ongoing Canal+ acquisition process. His deep understanding of our business and his strong leadership in both operational and strategic capacities make him exceptionally well-suited to this role,” Mawela said.
Jury is set to continue working over the next four months as part of the handover to Du Plessis, who will step into the CEO’s office at the group’s largest business from December 1.
“While this is a bittersweet moment for us as we bid farewell to Marc, we are confident in Byron’s ability to build on this legacy and take MultiChoice SA to even greater heights,” said Mawela.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.