Jose Manuel Lorenzo has stepped down from his position as general manager of Canal Plus and Contents at Spanish powerhouse Sogecable.

Lorenzo has headed Canal Plus for the last five years, seeing it through the recent merger of Sogecable and Telefonica's pay TV interests. For the last three years he has overseen all contents and programming for Sogecable. Prior to that he held top positions at broadcasters Television Espanola, Telecinco and Antena 3.

No replacement has yet been named. Lorenzo's office declined to comment on next steps beyond that he had decided to 'dedicate himself to other professional activities.'