Group Nine Media, parent of digital-media brands Thrillist, the Dodo, Seeker and NowThis, has hired Jeff Siegel as senior VP of distribution.
Most recently, Siegel was head of licensing and syndication for Verizon’s Go90, where he oversaw off-platform content licensing and syndication for the ad-supported service’s original programming. Verizon shut down Go90 this summer after the nearly three-year-old initiative failed to gain traction.
Sigel, based in the company’s New York headquarters, is responsible for sales and strategy around Group Nine’s intellectual-property library across platforms globally. Siegel will report to Mickey Meyer, chief network and IP management officer; Meyer joined the Discovery-backed company with Group Nine’s acquisition of comedy studio JASH, where he was president/COO.
“Jeff has extensive national and international media distribution experience and deep expertise in sourcing and negotiating TV and digital content sales and licensing deals with leading global platforms,” Meyer said in a statement. “As we continue to expand Group Nine’s IP library and evolve onto new platforms and into new formats, Jeff’s experience will be invaluable to helping us connect with new and diverse audiences around the world.”
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Siegel added, “The company’s brands have already built huge audiences of superfans both domestically and abroad, and I Iook forward to helping to continue to expand the audience in new and exciting ways.”
Siegel has more than 20 years of experience monetizing digital content globally with a focus on international distribution.
At Verizon, Siegel landed Go90’s first international content-licensing deal and advised cross-functional teams on rights, content configuration and assets with an eye toward global distribution. Before joining the telco in March 2017, Siegel was VP, international distribution at Defy Media where he oversaw content monetization for the digital studio outside of the U.S. He previously held distribution roles at FremantleMedia International and Viacom’s MTV Networks, and worked at Cinedigm for seven years.