Lord Alan Sugar steps down as YouView chairman
The Sugar daddy is ditching the set-top box maker, saying his work here is done. He wants to concentrate on his other businesses.
Lord Alan Sugar's time at YouView is over. The gruff business bod is due to step down from his role as non-executive chairman in the next few weeks, according to a release sent out by the company this afternoon.
The peer formerly known as Surralun has been non-executive chairman since 2011. A new chairman will be announced in due course, so best get your CV in now if you want to stand a chance.
In a statement, Lord Sugar said, "When I joined YouView in 2011, my brief from the shareholders was to use my experience in the electronics industry to get the product to market and into the homes of consumers. Having done that successfully, my job is complete and I will now focus my time and attention into my other businesses.
"I'd like to thank all those who are part of the YouView project, including its suppliers, staff and shareholders and I wish them every success for the future."
The YouView platform launched in the summer, and while the boxes are still a bit pricey, it's an impressive offering. Seeing as there's no monthly subscription to pay, it's still cheaper than either Virgin Media or Sky. Just not as affordable as Freeview.
It also has more features than the likes of Pure's Avalon 300R, which went on sale this week.
YouView boasts on-demand fare from online services such as BBC iPlayer, iTV Player, 4oD, and Demand 5. But it's the user interface that really sets it apart, seamlessly weaving together on-demand offerings with live broadcast TV. Now, if it can just get the price down, that figure of 10,000 people a week signing up could go through the roof.
Have you tried YouView? What do you reckon? And who do you think should take over from Surralun? Let me know in the comments, or on Facebook.