Italian Sky Italia satellite digital platform on channel 130. According to the official website, broadcasts started on May 8, 2008. On June 6, 2008, it was announced that the network would also be available on the Italian 3 DVB-H mobile operator, free of charge. The channel closed on July 31, 2011, following failed distribution renegotiations with Sky Italia. Current TV partnered with Twitter for the 2008 Presidential and Vice-Presidential debates, allowing viewers who watched the Current TV version of the debates to post live on Twitter and have their opinions shown on screen, live. 2009–2010: Financial troubles and IPO plans On January 28, 2009, Current Media Inc. announced that it intended to launch an initial public offering on the NASDAQ to raise US$100 million. However, it announced in early April that it was scrapping the plan due to "current market conditions" and that no securities had been sold, and all activity regarding the proposed IPO had been discontinued. In June 2009, Current TV received approval from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to establish a Canadian version of the channel, which would be a joint venture of Current TV and the CBC, with the CBC taking 80 percent ownership. The channel would be required to feature at least 35% Canadian content. The new service was planned to begin in Fall 2009, pending approval by the Treasury Board, but those plans were put on hold later that year. In July 2009, Current TV made a series of changes due to financial reasons and the failed IPO. CEO Joel Hyatt resigned to a new vice president position and was replaced by Mark Rosenthal, the former COO and president of MTV Networks, with a plan to reform Current TV to more traditional programing. Lisa Derrick of The Huffington Post predicted that Current TV would undergo a transformation similar to MTV's transformation during Mark Rosenthal's 1990s tenure at MTV, from MTV's multi-minute music video format to longer 30 minute/1 hour reality television programing. Ultimately its assorted pod format was discontinued in lieu of traditional 30-minute block programing. Some elements of the pod format survived inside the themed 30-minute programing. In July 2009, 80 in-house staff were laid off, about 25% of Current's staff, and plans were announced to air licensed TV series and films and other content that was not produced by Current in-house or by the VC2 system. Andrew Wallenstein of The Hollywood