Former AOL CEO Jon Miller will soon be overseeing News Corp.’s digital businesses, replacing Peter Levinsohn, who will be president of new media and digital distribution for Fox Filmed Entertainment.
Deadline HollywoodDaily’s Nikki Finke broke that news on Friday, and it was soon confirmed by Miller’s business partner at VC firm Velocity Interactive, Ross Levinsohn, who posted a blog on the topic at 2:07 am on March 28 (So late because Ross was so excited about the news? Or because it was making him too angst-ridden to sleep?) It just so happens that Ross Levinsohn formerly held the job that Miller is taking and Peter Levinsohn, Ross’ cousin, is leaving. It’s quite possibly the most incestuous job-related story out of Hollywood I have ever heard, and that’s saying something.
And here’s another reason Miller might have seemed appealing to News Corp. head Rupert Murdoch: Miller is close to incoming FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. Both worked for Barry Diller in high-level roles — Genachowski from 2000-2005, after which he launched Rock Creek Ventures and LaunchBox Digital; Miller from 1997 to 2002, including a stint as head of USA Broadcasting from 1997-1999. Most telling, Miller served as an advisor for Genachowski’s LaunchBox. That’s a connection that could come in handy, especially for News Corp., owner of Fox News.
According to Gawker, Miller will be responsible for all things Web, including MySpace. Gawker suggests a good portion of Miller’s new gig will be keeping MySpace CEO Chris Wolfe in check. Well, you can’t pay someone $580 million for their company, keep him on board and expect him to be well-behaved, can you?
Pete Levinsohn, meanwhile, still will oversee a vast swatch of News Corp.’s digital content, and will be getting to do some fun stuff, like creating the games that accompany every new movie these days.
