Ex-Amazon exec is named chief of YouTube rival
News Corp. and NBC Universal on Thursday named a little-known former executive of Amazon.com as head of its highly touted and well-financed online video joint venture.
Jason Kilar, who helped Amazon.com break into DVD sales in his decade with the online retailer, brings expertise in e-commerce and a passion for delivering a great user experience for video on the Web, his new employers say.
Marquee-name players in entertainment and technology steered clear of the job in part because of Hollywood's pockmarked history with partnerships and the inherent difficulty of keeping the interests of the two giant media owners aligned, according to several people acquainted with the months-long search.
The prolonged search underscores the challenges that NBC and News Corp. face in launching a rival to Google Inc.'s popular online video site, YouTube, despite their sizable investment in the new venture of an estimated $100 million. Indeed, the new service, which was initially to debut this summer, might not meet its revised September launch date either.
"We are moving as quickly as we can," said Peter Chernin, president and chief operating officer of News Corp. He added, "We'll launch when we think we're in a great position to do so."
The venture was announced in March as the entertainment industry's answer to YouTube, whose quirky amateur and semiprofessional videos attracted more than 48 million people in May, according to Nielsen/NetRatings NetView.
The NBC-News Corp. venture would bring together popular TV shows, such as "The Office" or "The Simpsons," and deliver the full-length programs to places where people go online to watch video -- AOL, CNet, MSN, MySpace and Yahoo. It would also create a new site where people could watch the shows they missed the previous night.
The importance of this as yet unnamed online video service, which some have archly dubbed the "anti-Tube," is one reason that Kilar emerged as the top candidate. The venture sought someone who could create the type of experience Amazon is known for -- easy-to-find products, user recommendations and fast checkout.
"Jason brings the right experience," said Chernin, who said the service would bring together premium content and a vast distribution network.
