He told us the other day, "I haven’t actually accepted the YouTube offer yet. We’re still figuring out how this is all going to work out, and nothing’s final yet. However, [CEO] Chad [Hurley] and the engineers I spoke with were excited about the possibilities."
Dean Gilbert is joining us as YouTube’s new Global Head of Content and will oversee our global content team as we work to expand our existing relationships and forge new ones. A veteran of the cable industry, Dean’s leadership roles have included serving as Executive Vice President and General Manager of @ Home Network. Over the last four years, Dean has provided leadership at Google across across a wide range of media products, including Google TV, YouTube and Google TV Ads.
Robert Kyncl is joining us as our new Global Head of TV and Film Entertainment. Robert comes to YouTube from Netflix, where he was Vice President of Content Acquisitions, spearheading the company’s content acquisition strategy for streaming TV shows and movies over the Internet. He was also instrumental in transitioning Netflix’s business from DVD-by-mail to streaming. In his new role, Robert will build our content partner presence in Hollywood, overseeing our content partnerships across the studios, broadcasters, cable networks, talent agencies and new media companies. Chris Maxcy will continue his executive leadership role as Global Head of Music and Games, focusing on our global music business.The Kyncl hiring is particularly interesting, raising questions about what this means for Netflix, who has been pretty impressive in its competition in the movie rental industry thus far. Competition in that space is heating up, and it will be interesting to see how the company’s strategy holds up with this change.