Van Rooyen was previously the CEO of pay-TV giant Sky in the UK and Ireland. (VodafoneZiggo)

VodafoneZiggo, the Dutch telecoms firm and pay-TV operator, has appointed former Sky UK head Stephen van Rooyen as its new chief executive (CEO).

He will officially take up his new position with the company in September, to replace Jeroen Hoencamp who departed earlier this month.

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Van Rooyen will be based in the Netherlands, at VodafoneZiggo's Utrecht headquarters.

Chief financial officer Ritchy Drost will lead VodafoneZiggo as interim CEO until van Rooyen takes charge.

Van Rooyen was previously the CEO of pay-TV giant Sky in the UK and Ireland and chief commercial officer for the Sky Group before leaving the company earlier this year.

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The experienced telecoms and media executive spent more than 17 years at Sky in the UK and in several other countries in Europe including Germany, Italy, Austria, Ireland, and Switzerland.

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Before Van Rooyen’s departure, Sky UK retained its long-standing domestic rights to English soccer’s Premier League until 2029 and secured the ATP and WTA tennis tours and the British and Irish Lions’ 2025 tour of Australia.

Mike Fries, Liberty Global chief executive, has said: “Stephen is an exceptionally talented executive with a strong track record of driving growth and innovation over the last two decades with Sky.

“He brings with him deep expertise in brand, products, and innovation which is exactly what we need in the competitive Dutch market.”

VodafoneZiggo holds rights to several major sports properties through its Ziggo Sport pay-TV network, including European soccer’s UEFA club competitions from the 2024-25 to 2026-27 seasons.

Ziggo Sport also holds rights to Spain’s LaLiga, France’s Ligue 1, Italian Serie A, PGA Tour golf, ATP tennis, and rugby union’s Six Nations Championships.

However, in recent years Ziggo lost its rights to show the Premier League and motor racing’s Formula 1 after they were acquired by the Viaplay streaming service, which launched in the Netherlands in 2022.