John Burke, the cable industry vet who left Arris last November, has resurfaced at video software and guide specialist Rovi Corp. as executive vice president and chief operating officer.
Burke, who starts on March 18, will be based at Rovi’s office in Radnor, Pa., and report to company president and CEO Tom Carson. Burke will head up Rovi’s business groups in areas covering discovery technologies, and oversight of product management, engineering, the office of the CTO, and professional services.
“John’s appointment and the creation of this executive position underscore our commitment to expand our product businesses and drive improved revenue and profitability,” Carson said, in a statement. “With expertise in managing product businesses and driving the development of cloud-based solutions, as well as complementary skills in strategy, business development, and acquisition integrations, John is an ideal choice to lead Rovi’s product businesses.”
“I believe Rovi has the focus and core capabilities necessary to increase its industry influence and look forward to helping Tom and the rest of the executive team take a disciplined approach to driving growth, delighting customers, and creating stockholder value,” Burke added.
Burke joined Arris last April following its $2.35 billion acquisition of Motorola Home, and departed last November to “pursue other opportunities.” At Arris, Burke headed up its Cloud Solutions team and its Corporate Strategy and Development Team. Before the Arris/Moto deal, Burke was SVP and GM of Converged Experiences at Motorola Home. Burke came on board at Motorola in 2000 via its acquisition of General Instrument Corp.
Burke joins Rovi as the company prepares to launch “Omni,” a next-gen, cloud-based multiscreen navigation/guide for set-tops and mobile devices that will feature a higher level of personalization aided by its recent acquisition of voice search firm Veveo.
As reported in the March 10 issue of Multichannel News (subscription required), Rovi intends to introduce Omni, the successor to TotalGuide, in the second quarter. The company is also developing “Rovi Remote Access Services,” an architecture that will help cable operators extend new UIs to customers who use legacy boxes that are connected to IP-capable smart TVs.
