Seasoned Media Executive Peter Liguori Takes Reins Of Ad Tech Firm VideoAmp As Executive Chairman Amid Layoffs Of 20% Of Workers
05.01.2024 - 02:05
/ deadline.com
Veteran entertainment exec Peter Liguori has taken the reins of ad tech firm VideoAmp as executive chairman amid the layoffs of 20% of its workforce in a restructuring.
Liguori, who had already been serving as a board member at VideoAmp, was previously CEO of Tribune Media and also held senior exec posts at Fox Entertainment, FX and Discovery. He replaces Ross McCray, who founded VideoAmp in 2014 and is transitioning to a role as “active founder, board member and shareholder,” according to an official announcement.
VideoAmp is among a crop of new challengers to Nielsen, whose decades-long grip on the measurement business — the wonky but all-important glue of the $60 billion TV ad market — has loosened in recent years. Startups like VideoAmp are jockeying for legitimacy while spending heavily on executive talent and technology, against a backdrop of cord-cutting and viewership atomization.
VideoAmp has set deals recently with Amazon, Disney, YouTube, Warner Bros. Discovery, Meta, NBCU, Paramount and other programmers. The company says more than $1 billion is slated to be measured and guaranteed on its currency in 2024 from more than 1,000 advertisers.
Along with Liguori’s new role, former Nielsen senior executive Peter Bradbury has come aboard VideoAmp in the new role of Chief Commercial and Growth Officer. The company also made a number of other executive appointments and also disclosed that it is laying off roughly 20% of its workforce in the restructuring.
Tony Fagan and Josh Hudgins have been promoted to the roles of President, Technology and Strategy, and Chief Product Officer, respectively. Both are taking on increased responsibilities alongside the remainder of the C-Suite, which includes CFO Paul Ross, Chief