Veteran TV executive Sam Barnett is stepping down as CEO of top Middle East broadcaster and streamer MBC Group and Mike Sneesby, former CEO of Australia’s Nine Entertainment, has been appointed his successor.
Barnett, who led MBC for more than 20 years in two separate stints, has been instrumental to MBC becoming a major Middle East player in both the linear and streaming spheres.
Barnett is joining PPF Group’s Central European Media Enterprises as its Prague-based CEO. CME runs 46 TV channels in six Central and Eastern European countries – Croatia, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Slovakia and Slovenia – as well as streaming service Voyo.
Sneesby left Nine Entertainment, which spans TV, streaming and newspapers, in September 2024 following months of turmoil including the passing of a staff no confidence motion against him and the group’s board of directors.
Sneesby was previously co-founder of Australian streamer Stan and its CEO from 2015.
Sneesby’s appointment to lead MBC Group comes as the Saudi-owned group is on a growth trajectory after floating a 10% stake on the Riyadh stock exchange at the end of 2023 and gaining increasing traction on its streaming side.
Been a while since I posted here, so here’s some happenings around South America…
Canal 13 in Chile updated their arch symbol from 2018 across their TV, radio and online offerings. It’s designed by local agency Feels.
The rebrand occurred before their 9pm news, T13, which had a new symbol unveiled but not yet adopted to their bulletins or streamer.
13C, the cable cultural channel, slightly updated their 2024 identity with the new symbol. Preferred this over the main channel for incorporating different materials beyond glossy models:
Meanwhile, the rainbow gradient palette was reintroduced to TV Globo for their 60th anniversary. It had been a core part of their identity before the big rebrand in 2021.
