The Comcast-owned European broadcaster Sky announced a new leadership structure for its Sky News Group on Monday, and the team will be led by a figure with strong connections to the U.S. TV news business.
Former CBS News president David Rhodes will become executive chairman of the Sky News Group.
Rhodes, who has led international business development at Sky since July 2021, will now be responsible Sky’s news services across Europe, Middle East and Africa.
“This pan-European role will focus on the development of a long-term commercial strategy for both Sky News UK and TG24 in Italy,” the company said.
“It is a great honour to be appointed to lead the Sky News Group,” Rhodes added in a statement. “Throughout my career I’ve admired Sky’s commitment to accurate, impartial, high-quality journalism. Together we will bring this important news coverage to audiences around the UK, Europe, and the wider world.”
He replaces John Ryley, who left as head of Sky News in December after 17 years at the top, and will now report to Sky Studios CEO Cecile Frot-Coutaz.
Rhodes started his career in 1996 at Fox News, pre-launch, and went on to spend 12 years at the channel. He left Fox News in late 2008 to lead Bloomberg TV, and became the president of CBS News in February 2011 at the age of 37. He left CBS News at the end of February 2019, after an eight-year run, handing the reins to Susan Zirinsky. He spent a couple years in various media advisory roles until earning the biz dev role at Comcast/Sky a year and a half ago.
Additionally, Sky News U.K. is promoting Jonathan Levy to managing director and executive editor, “with the primary responsibility for the journalism on all U.K. platforms, including digital, TV and audio.”
Levy has most recently served as director of newsgathering and operations at Sky News, owning that role since 2011. He was previously head of Sky News politics. Levy and Giuseppe De Bellis, managing director and executive editor, TG24, will report to Rhodes.