IGN Hires Ex-Fusion Exec Wade Beckett as Chief Programming Officer

Wade Beckett, after exiting Univision Communication’s Fusion earlier this year, has joined video-game media outlet IGN Entertainment as chief programming officer and senior VP of video.

Beckett will lead IGN’s video initiatives from the company’s L.A. studio, overseeing all operational aspects including original content, branded video production, and partnerships. Most recently, he was chief programming officer and senior VP of production at Fusion, where he supervised the network’s programming, development and production, including non-scripted series, documentaries, specials, and live events.

After Beckett left Fusion in May, Keith Summa was promoted to SVP content and programming reporting to Daniel Eilemberg, who was named Fusion’s president and chief content officer in April.

Before joining Fusion in 2014, Beckett was executive producer and showrunner for ESPN’s “SportsNation.” Before that he spent six years at NBCUniversal’s now-defunct G4, which was the first dedicated TV channel about games and fan culture. Beckett also has worked at ZDTV, Tech TV, NBC’s Peter Engel Productions and TV Guide Channel.

“The combination of IGN’s 20-year brand credibility in gaming and entertainment coupled with Wade’s experience in delivering original programming will cement IGN’s position as a leader in video for games and geek culture across all screens,” Peer Schneider, IGN’s GM and co-founder, said in announcing Beckett’s hiring.

The IGN social-video team, in addition to producing original content at its San Francisco and L.A. studios, also creates custom editorial and branded video programming for 20 million followers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. IGN has 9 million subscribers across multiple YouTube channels, and hosts a channel on Snapchat Discover.

Established in 1996, IGN was acquired in 2013 by Ziff Davis, which is a subsidiary of j2 Global.

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