Sport

Sky Sports News Bombshell Seven Big Names Out in Dramatic Summer Clear-out

Published on May 29, 2025

Sky Sports News viewers are bracing for a very different line-up next season after the channel confirmed seven well-known faces are heading for the exit door. The biggest surprise came on Monday when presenter Rob Wotton wiped away tears during his final live shift. After almost three decades on screen he signed off with a grin and a quip. “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!” His farewell marked the start of a major reshuffle that has since been detailed to staff in an internal memo.

The Sun has reported that senior reporter Melissa Reddy is among those leaving following a consultation period. Reddy only joined Sky three years ago but quickly became a familiar face thanks to her coverage of high-profile Premier League stories.

She will depart alongside presenters Teddy Draper and Jasper Taylor who swapped production roles for the studio more than ten years ago and went on to anchor countless breaking-news shifts. Long-serving reporter Jeremy Langdon is also ending his two-decade run, while senior reporter Fadumo Okow and producer Nick Lustig complete the group departing this summer.

Sky insists the decision is not a straight-forward cost-cutting exercise. A spokesperson told staff the changes are aimed at “making us more agile and better equipped to serve audiences” in an increasingly competitive sports-news market. Even so the news has landed with a jolt for viewers who have grown up watching many of the names involved. Wotton, who originally joined in 1998, fronted The Football Show on Monday mornings but that programme has now been cancelled and replaced by new formats still to be announced.

Behind the scenes the restructure has been brewing for months. Management began consulting selected on-air talent at the start of the year warning that the channel needed to refresh its output and embrace a more digital-first approach. Those talks have now concluded and the seven departures form part of a broader plan that will see more crossover with Sky Sports’ streaming platforms and social channels, reported the Mirror.

Colleagues say Wotton remained upbeat despite the news. On his final appearance he thanked every camera operator and autocue writer he could name before stepping away from the desk for the last time. Draper and Taylor are expected to appear on air until their contracts formally end later in the summer. Langdon, a fixture on countless touchline reports, is already lining up freelance work, while Reddy is being tipped for a swift return to front-line football reporting elsewhere. There is no word yet on next moves for Okow or Lustig.

For viewers the biggest question is who will fill the gaps once pre-season kicks off. Sky is keeping its cards close to its chest but insiders talk of fresher faces and a heavier emphasis on live analysis rather than rolling bulletins. Whether that means household names or newcomers remains to be seen. What is certain is that the familiar routine of switching on Sky Sports News and catching Wotton’s trademark grin or Reddy’s touchline updates is coming to an end. Fans still mulling over transfer gossip will have to get used to a revamped cast by the time the first whistle blows in August.

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