The CW Taps Former Roku Exec Ashley Hovey As Chief Digital Officer
The CW Network has named Ashley Hovey chief digital officer, a newly created position, starting April 17 reporting to President Dennis Miller.
Hovey will overseeing the business strategy and day-to-day operations of the network’s digital operations and OTT streaming platforms.
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She joins The CW after five years at Roku, where she ran the ad-supported business for The Roku Channel, including on-demand and FAST channel content, audience engagement, and growth. As Senior Director, TRC AVOD, Hovey built and led the Kids and Family, FAST, Music, and Espacio Latino businesses, drove overall partner strategy and monetization, and managed the multiplatform offering.
Prior to Roku, she was a senior director of advertising strategy and development at Comcast, supporting the $2.5 billion cable ad business. She previously worked for British Telecom and Nielsen in various business development, product and client services roles, including working with Facebook on ad measurement.
While Hovey is officially the first exec to hold the title of chief digital officer, the network’s activities in digital and streaming had long been overseen by Rick Haskins, who spent a decade and a half at the CW. Haskins, who had been president of streaming and chief branding officer, was among a wave of senior exec departures last fall after Nexstar took majority control.
The fully ad-supported CW App, with over 92 million downloads to date, is available for free on most all major platforms and home to the latest episodes and seasons of The CW’s primetime programming, live streaming of its sports content, and a library of film and television content for on-demand viewing.
“Ashley is a trailblazer who knows what it takes to build a successful entertainment brand from the ground up and we look forward to having her play a vital role in helping us expand and monetize The CW Network’s digital footprint,” said Miller.
“I’m excited to join the Network at a crucial time when anything and everything is possible in TV and streaming,” aded Hovey. “The CW has an amazing audience and history, and … I cannot wait to grow the Network to new heights.”
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