Amazon Poaches Paramount Plus Int'l Chief Kelly Day
Move follows ViacomCBS' decision to partner up with Comcast for SkyShowtime back in August
Kelly Day is leaving her post as president of ViacomCBS' international streaming operation to lead the foreign streaming interests of Amazon Prime Video.
Day will assume the newly created position of VP of Prime Video International in January and report to Mike Hopkins, senior VP of Amazon Prime Video and Amazon Studios.
Day's purview will include all international territories and span SVOD, TVOD and the Prime Video Channels business, according to an internal Amazon memo sent by Hopkins and released to the media.
"As I’ve said before, global expansion is a key driver of [Prime Video] growth and essential to the success of our business," Hopkins said in the memo. "I couldn’t be prouder of all we’ve accomplished in building and scaling PV globally. I look forward to the opportunities that Kelly’s leadership will bring. Her insights and expertise on the future of television, the evolution of online business models and the disruption of traditional businesses through emerging technology will help us to be the number one entertainment hub for our customers. "
Also read: ViacomCBS's Kelly Day on Going Global with Pluto, Paramount Plus … and SkyShowtime
Day's career switch follows ViacomCBS' announcement back in August that it's combining its subscription streaming forces with Comcast to expand its direct-to-consumer business into Europe under the brand "SkyShowtime."
At ViacomCBS, the former Awesomeness executive had been the conglomerate's top international streaming executive, leading foreign expansion plans not just for Paramount Plus, but for the ads-supported Pluto TV, as well. ■
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Daniel Frankel is the managing editor of Next TV, an internet publishing vertical focused on the business of video streaming. A Los Angeles-based writer and editor who has covered the media and technology industries for more than two decades, Daniel has worked on staff for publications including E! Online, Electronic Media, Mediaweek, Variety, paidContent and GigaOm. You can start living a healthier life with greater wealth and prosperity by following Daniel on Twitter today!