Netflix hires VP of partner products to focus on streaming devices
It's impossible to say what kind of impact Gregory K. Peters will have on Netflix as a whole, but one thing is for sure: we certainly dig his job description. Recently hired on by Netflix as the vice president of partner products, Mr. Peters will be responsible for "bringing to market a range of devices from leading consumer electronics manufacturers that are capable of instantly streaming movies and TV episodes from Netflix directly to consumers' TVs." The new role was established shortly after Netflix decided to deliver HD streaming to the Xbox 360 (and other boxes in the future), and it's a clear signal that the company understands the importance of digital downloads in a world currently dominated by physical discs. The overriding goal? To enable "all US households to stream Netflix to their TVs." Looks like ole Greg will be putting those degrees in physics and astrophysics to good use, huh? Full release is after the jump.
NETFLIX APPOINTS GREG PETERS V.P. OF PARTNER PRODUCTS IN CONTINUED PUSH TO DELIVER STREAMING CONTENT TO TVs
LOS GATOS, Calif., November 13, 2008 – Netflix, Inc. (Nasdaq: NFLX), the world's leading online movie rental service, today announced the appointment of Gregory K. Peters to the position of vice president of partner products. In this role, he will be responsible for bringing to market a range of devices from leading consumer electronics manufacturers that are capable of instantly streaming movies and TV episodes from Netflix directly to consumers' TVs.
Mr. Peters joins Netflix at a time when the company is rapidly expanding the number of ways in which its subscribers can instantly watch content streamed from Netflix to their TVs. This year, Netflix has announced partnerships with LG Electronics, Roku, Microsoft, Samsung and TiVo to offer Netflix ready devices that can instantly stream from a growing library of over 12,000 movies and TV episodes at Netflix. In this newly created role, Mr. Peters will report to Netflix Chief Product Officer Neil Hunt.
Mr. Peters brings to his new assignment deep experience in strategic planning and product development in the digital media market. Most recently, he was senior vice president of consumer electronics products for Macrovision Solutions Corp., a leader in the enhancement and distribution of digital content across multiple channels and platforms in the entertainment, CE, cable and satellite, and online distribution markets. Earlier, Mr. Peters served as vice president of engineering for Mediabolic, Inc., a leading provider of digital home entertainment software acquired by Santa Clara-based Macrovision last year.
"Greg's expertise in all aspects of the product development lifecycle – from vision to design to implementation – will be a significant asset to Netflix and our partners as we push toward our goal of eventually enabling all U.S. households to stream Netflix to their TVs," said Dr. Hunt.
Prior to Macrovision and Mediabolic, Mr. Peters was director of Red Hat network for Red Hat, Inc., the leading provider of Linux and open source technology; vice president of engineering for NOCpulse, a systems management software firm acquired by Red Hat in 2002; and director of Web development for Wine.com, the leading online wine store.
Mr. Peters holds B.S. degrees in physics and astrophysics from Yale University.
