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Muller, Hornsey join Sony

Sony Pictures Television Networks (SPTN) has recruited high-ranking executives from Channel 5 and Turner in the UK for its leadership team.

Sarah Muller

Channel 5 head of children’s Sarah Muller has joined SPTN as VP of its UK children’s and youth portfolio.

Muller has a long track record in children’s programming, having spent a decade at the BBC before arriving at Viacom-owned Channel 5 in late 2016 to oversee preschool programming block Milkshake.

The former head of acquisitions and creative director at CBBC will lead the programming and development of SPTN’s recently launched, advertising-funded VoD kids’ service Pop Fun as well as linear brands Pop, Tiny Pop and Pop Max.

SPTN took control of the latter networks in 2014 after acquiring CSC Media Group. It followed this up in 2016 by taking a minority stake in preschool SVoD platform Hopster to help expand its operations.

Former CiTV boss Jamila Metran has been serving as interim head of SPTN’s children’s channels in the UK since the beginning of 2017, covering for Francesca Newington after she went on maternity leave.

Metran will remain head of SPTN’s children’s channels in the UK, a spokeswoman for SPTN told C21.

Meanwhile, Steve Hornsey, currently director of general entertainment in UK and Northern Europe at Turner, has joined SPTN as VP of its UK entertainment channel portfolio.

Former UKTV general manager Hornsey has been responsible for programming Turner’s pay, free-to-air and SVoD entertainment services such as TNT, TruTV and TCM since 2015.

The SPTN UK channel brands he will now oversee include Sony Channel, Sony Movie Channel, Movies4Men and TruTV.

Muller will join SPTN in March, while Hornsey will take up his position in April. Both will report to Kate Marsh, SPTN’s executive VP, Western Europe, international networks, and will also become part of Marsh’s regional senior management team.

“Sarah has a wealth of experience in children’s and youth programming and I have no doubt she will lead our talented and passionate team to new successes,” said Marsh.

“Steve’s scripted planning and brand management expertise will help us cement our position as a leading free-to-air entertainment broadcaster as we continue to grow and expand our services across the UK and the region.”

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