Austar’s Mann in the saddle at TVN

Austar’s Mann in the saddle

PUBLISHED: 13 HOURS 18 MINUTES AGO | UPDATE: 13 HOURS 18 MINUTES AGO

 Horse racing broadcast rights management company TVN is set to appoint former pay television executive Bruce Mann as its chief executive. He has pipped former Seven West Media CFO Peter Lewis for the $800,000 a year gig.

Mann was one of several very well remunerated executives – along with CEO John Porter and Nikki Warburton (wife of V8 Supercars boss James Warburton) – who departed Austar and its subsidiaries (with sacks of cash) after last year’s merger with Foxtel.

Undoubtedly, Mann – who is married to Stephanie Atkinson, daughter of former Brisbane Lord Mayor Sallyanne Atkinson – has taken quite a pay cut.

For a decade he ran Austar and Foxtel joint venture XYZ Networks, which operates (among others) the LifeStyle Channel, [V], the Weather Channel and Arena.

TVN’s leadership has been troubled for months. Former News Limited boss John Hartigan refused to assume the chair, calling the board “dysfunctional”.