Ovation Gets New EVP of Distribution

SANTA MONICA: Brad Samuels has been hired as the executive VP of distribution at Ovation, while Chad Gutstein becomes chief operating officer.

Samuels will be based on Ovation’s New York offices. He will be responsible for leading the network’s distribution efforts across all platforms. Samuels joins from MSG Media, where he was executive VP of content distribution.

Gutstein was an original member of the team that acquired Ovation in 2006. He has been its executive VP ever since. Gutstein now moves into the COO role.

“I have been very impressed with Ovation’s remarkable growth over the past five years. Through the network’s well-defined brand, focused programming strategy and partnerships with major cultural institutions, they have transformed from a fledging independent network to a highly valued and uniquely positioned service with excellent support from the pay-TV distributor community,” said Samuels. “That said, there’s a lot more to do and I’m looking forward to joining the Ovation management team to lead the effort to drive Ovation’s distribution into more homes and new platforms.”

“Brad joins our network at a pivotal time. We’ve just hit the 46 million subscriber mark and we’re committed to accelerating our growth to hit 50 million in 2012,” added Gutstein. “We feel strongly that his remarkable track record and leadership skills will be help us meet those goals if not exceed them.”

“Chad and I came together six years ago to build the best arts network in the America. Chad’s dedication to growing Ovation’s business is grounded not only in his deep understanding and experience in media investment and operations, but also in his love of the arts and strong belief that the arts should be accessible to everyone,” said Charles Segars, the CEO of Ovation. “His promotion to COO is well deserved and I look forward to working with him on new and innovative ways to move our business forward.”