DirecTV unveiled a series of promotions Wednesday to fill the void left by the exits of David Hill and Dan Fawcett, who are returning to their former employer, News Corp.
Hill, who served in a dual role as president of DirecTV Entertainment and chairman and CEO of Fox Sports, is returning to News Corp.’s Fox on a full-time basis. He will remain involved with DirecTV as an advisor in some entertainment and content initiatives.
Fawcett, who served as DirecTV’s executive vice president of programming acquisition and business and legal affairs, is leaving DirecTV to take on a new position as president of Fox Digital Media. Fawcett joined DirecTV in 2004 as executive VP and general counsel. Prior to that, he was executive VP of business and legal affairs for Fox Cable Networks Group.
With those departures, DirecTV promoted Derek Chang to executive VP of content strategy and development and Dan Hartman to senior VP of programming acquisition. Chang, a veteran of Charter Communications and Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network, will report to DirecTV CEO Chase Carey. Hartman will report to Chang.
In addition, Eric Shanks, executive VP of entertainment, will now lead all of DirecTV’s entertainment efforts. He will also report directly to Carey.
Together, Shanks and Chang will oversee DirecTV’s content, programming operations and content strategy.
In his new role, Chang’s duties will include all programming strategy, development and acquisitions for the domestic business of DirecTV. Hartman will assume day-to-day responsibilities for interfacing with major programmers and negotiating DirecTV’s core programming rights.
The moves come as Liberty Media’s purchase of News Corp.’s 38% controlling stake in DirecTV, an $11 billion deal, is pending.
Chang joined DirecTV last March as senior VP of strategy and development, and he was responsible for developing strategic business opportunities. Hartman, who joined DirecTV in 1998, was responsible for program-acquisition activities for all general entertainment and premium cable networks and was programming liaison for DirecTV’s advanced-products group.
“I’d like to take the opportunity to thank David and Dan for their significant contributions over the past few years. They have played such an important role in our success,” Carey said in a prepared statement. “I’m particularly excited that David will be available to us in the future and that we’ll continue to benefit from his unique talent and vision. I congratulate Dan and wish him well in the future.”
