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Melissa Reddy is reportedly one of seven Sky Sports News broadcasters who has been informed she is being made redundant.
The reporter was told her fate alongside her colleagues in an internal memo on Tuesday, according to The Sun.
It comes after presenter Rob Wotton choked up during his final appearance after 27 years working for the channel on Monday.
Presenters Teddy Draper and Jasper Taylor; reporters Jeremy Langdon and Fadumo Olow; and producer Nick Lustig have also reportedly been cut.
Mail Sport first broke the news of Sky’s intended redundancy programme earlier this month.
Insiders have insisted that the move is not a cost-cutting measure while a spokesperson said it was aimed at ‘making us more agile and better equipped to serve audiences’.
Sky Sports News have reportedly told Melissa Reddy and six others that they are redundant
Rob Wotton fought back tears after presenting his final show for Sky Sports
The restructuring from the US-owned company has not been taken lightly, according to sources.
The priority, among bosses, is to ensure that the department adapts to meet the changing behaviours of audiences and is ‘faster, more flexible and more creative’.
Wotton was almost reduced to tears as he bid goodbye to viewers for the final time on The Football Show, which has now been axed by Sky, on Monday night.
He said: ‘It’s been an absolute pleasure. I came here in my 20s and I thought I was only coming for a couple of weeks.
‘And look, they haven’t been able to get rid of me. I keep turning up, maybe one day they’ll pay me!’
Wotton then revealed the team he supports as he signed off for the final time, shouting out ‘come on the Chels!’
He was joined by fellow hosts Stephen Warnock and Sue Smith, who gave Wotton a fond farewell before his departure.
Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was said to be a keen viewer of the analysis show, as he enjoyed its ‘Ref Watch’ analysis segment with ex-Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher.
The Premier League and Sky will hold talks over Gary Neville’s Nottingham Forest stadium ban
Senior figures at the broadcaster and top-flight are concerned with Forest’s controversial step
Wotton’s departure comes as a shock to employees as Sky, who are said to be dismayed by the decision to cut the programme.
Some are even said to be ‘bewildered’ with Sky Sports undergoing a ‘restructure’ which has seen seven reporters and presenters leave.
Mail Sport also exclusively revealed last Saturday that the Premier League and Sky will hold further high-level talks aimed at preventing a repeat of Nottingham Forest’s refusal to admit Gary Neville to Sunday’s season-defining clash with Chelsea.
It is understood that senior figures at the Premier League, Sky and other broadcasters have been alarmed at the controversial step taken by Forest, which we revealed on Saturday.
Forest denied access to Neville, citing a potentially hostile welcome from fans following what they view as aggressive messaging from the Sky pundit aimed at hampering the club’s progress.
That decision sparked discussions between the Premier League and Sky, who pay billions and who are viewed as a vital component to the competition’s success.
More talks are set to follow immediately, with a rule change one possibility.
In 2023, Sky shelled out for four of the five packages available in a £6.7bn, four-year deal along with TNT Sports for UK television rights.
Next season they will screen a minimum of 215 live matches as the lead domestic broadcaster.
The precedent set by Forest, who are currently within their rights to decide who enters their property, is understood to have triggered widespread alarm.
More to follow.
