ViacomCBS Networks International (VCNI has announced the appointment of three key executives in new roles to drive the company’s streaming business in advance of the 2021 launch of Paramount+.
Kelly Day, who has taken on an expanded remit as announced earlier this week as president of Streaming for VCNI in addition to her role as COO, has appointed Doug Craig as senior VP, content strategy & acquisitions, VCNI; Angela Heckman as senior VP, revenue & operations, VCNI; and Marco Nobili senior VP, marketing, VCNI.
Craig will lead international content strategy, acquisitions, programming, and operations for VCNI’s portfolio of international streaming services, including Paramount+, Pluto TV and Noggin across all international markets. He joins the company from NBC Universal, where he oversaw content strategy and programming for Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes and Movieclips. Craig began his career in research at Nielsen, and later began his programming career at Discovery, where he was eventually promoted to SVP programming and operations for the digital/mobile team.
Heckman will drive business operations and overall revenue growth for VCNI’s streaming portfolio across international markets. With central oversight of new and existing channels and partners including native MVPDs, connected devices and platforms, she will work in close partnership with Emerging Business and Commercial leaders in the clusters. She will also lead VCNI’s overall streaming operations and will partner with the ViacomCBS Digital team to ensure business objectives are met. Previously SVP of Digital Partnerships for ViacomCBS’s domestic digital business, Heckman is credited with leading the development of ViacomCBS’s domestic streaming partnerships, including those with Apple, Google, Amazon and Roku.
Nobili will oversee VCNI’s marketing strategy and operations for streaming products and platforms across all markets. He will oversee international brand strategy, growth strategy, marketing execution and data and analytics for the streaming services, with the objectives of building VCNI’s brands in local markets, reaching subscriber acquisition targets and driving direct to consumer revenue. Nobili joined VCNI earlier this year as head of emerging business in Latin America, after a career at Netflix, Amazon, and Microsoft. Nobili’s prior experience spans previous digital leadership roles, including director of product innovation & originals launch strategy for Netflix, and regional manager for Amazon Prime Video, where he launched and oversaw the market strategy for the streamer in Mexico and Spanish-speaking Latin America.
Commenting on the appointments, Day said: As we prepare for the global launch of Paramount+ and continue to expand Pluto TV and Noggin internationally, VCNI is positioned to become as powerful a player in streaming as we are in television. With this stellar leadership team, an unparalleled global content engine, a proven technology platform and an international infrastructure and partnerships that span 180 markets, the ViacomCBS international streaming team will deliver an exceptional consumer entertainment experience and significantly disrupt the streaming industry”.
