It's Official: Miller Joins News Corp. As Chief Digital Officer, Will Head Digital Media Group
This story was written by Staci D. Kramer.
You can stop holding your breathJon Miller's no-compete window with Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) has closed and, as has been widely expected for days, he is now the chief digital officer of News Corp (NYSE: NWS). Miller also will head a new Digital Media Group as chairman and CEO, overseeing News Corp.'s standalone digital businesses including MySpace, IGN Entertainment, Photobucket, as well as Jamba and the Hulu joint venture with NBC Universal (NYSE: GE). On the strategic side, he will also "collaborate with operational heads and digital executives through all lines of business around the globe to develop and refine digital efforts." Miller leaves Velocity Interactive Group, where he was a founding partner.
News Corp. so far is declining interview requests. In the highly fine-tuned announcement, Chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch briefly described this change in digital strategy: "Our focus moving forward is twofold: to enable our digital businesses to flourish as individual entities and to bolster the digital strategies of our core media properties by treating them as central to, and not separate from, the enterprise. With his strong background in media and entertainment, coupled with a deep understanding of the digital business, Jon Miller is hands down the best-equipped executive to provide the vision, oversight and operational experience to truly transform our offerings."
The announcement also covers News Corp. vet Peter Levinsohn's new job as president of new media and digital distribution for Fox Filmed Entertainment, as we detailed over the weekend. After two-plus years running FIM, Levinsohn "will oversee Fox Filmed Entertainment's entire content portfolio across all digital distribution channels, including Hulu and third-party platforms in the broadband, mobile and gaming markets. He will direct all policy decisions regarding new usage and business models, content protection, and will further develop the studio's original and derivative content businesses by working with creative talent, distributors and brands to bring short and long-form digital entertainment to audiences worldwide."
More to come.
By Staci D. Kramer