Mail Online

SKY STALWART SHREEVES COULD GO IN JOBS CULL

By MATT HUGHES Chief Sports Reporter

GEOFF SHREEVES is one of 13 Sky Sports reporters at risk of losing their jobs in a major overhaul of the broadcaster’s Premier League coverage next season. sportsmail revealed yesterday that Sky’s football staff were told they must reapply for their jobs earlier this week, with Shreeves understood to be one of those whose position is under threat. Shreeves has been ever-present at Sky since joining as a floor manager when the Premier League launched in 1992, giving a thumbs-up for referee Mike Reed to begin Nottingham Forest’s game against Liverpool on the first super sunday show, before establishing himself as a senior reporter.

Other experienced Sky reporters who were told they must reapply for their roles include Bianca Westwood, Dickie Davis and Patrick Davison.

Sky insist that no decisions have been made on redundancies, but they are planning to go from 13 football reporters to 12 and re-assign several roles. Only seven specialist football reporters will be reappointed plus five ‘content creators’, whose focus will be to generate content for Sky’s digital platforms.

Sky have been unwilling to provide any reassurances that their existing staff will be reappointed and job losses appear inevitable as the network target a younger audience.

Shreeves’ two decades as a touchline reporter have made him one of Sky’s most recognisable faces and voices, providing pre-match analysis, in-game touchline updates and post-match interviews. He released an autobiography earlier this year, cheers, Geoff! Tales from the Touchline and also provides injury updates in the fIfa video game series.

‘Our coverage of football is evolving to reflect the changing habits of our viewers and ensures we continue to deliver the best experience for customers,’ a Sky spokesperson said. ‘Our proposal would mean the creation of new roles, and the closing of some existing roles, and we are in a consultation period with our people.’

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2023-03-24T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-03-24T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://mailonline.pressreader.com/article/282862260131659

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