Ahead of the impending relaunch of African streaming platform Showmax, its parent, JSE-listed MultiChoice Group, has announced further management changes at the unit.

Showmax chief operations officer Barry Dubovsky, an Australian national, is leaving the group after five years and will be replaced in the role by Joe Heshu, previously MultiChoice’s regional director for Southern Africa.

Dubovsky joined MultiChoice in 2018 as group executive of digital at MultiChoice Africa Holdings before being appointed as group executive head of digital and later as Showmax COO.

In an internal communication seen by TechCentral, MultiChoice credited Dubovsky for achieving “all-time high subscriber growth for Showmax” and for playing an “integral role in closing the Peacock Platform agreement as part of the Comcast deal”.

That refers to the plans by MultiChoice to launch Showmax “version 2”, which is now expected to happen by the group’s year-end in March.

The group agreed to sell a 30% stake in Showmax to Comcast-owned NBCUniversal, a sister company of the UK’s Sky. MultiChoice is also working closely with executives from Sky to develop new products as pay television pivots away from satellite to streaming.

Dubovsky will assume an “advisory role” at Showmax until the end of February, the group said.

Read: Showmax 2.0 to be launched this year – what to expect

News of his departure comes a month after MultiChoice announced the exit of Showmax CEO – and longstanding senior executive of the group – Yolisa Phahle.