Ovation appoints distribution boss

US arts and culture cable net Ovation has recruited John Malkin as its distribution chief.

As executive VP of content distribution, Malkin will report to Ovation CEO Charles Segars and will oversee channel and content distribution efforts.

He replaces Brad Samuels, who recently left Ovation for Bloomberg TV. Ovation’s senior VP of content distribution and partnerships, Mike Pons, and VP of affiliate marketing Randy Rovegno now report to Malkin.

The new recruit joins from the NFL where he was VP, affiliate distribution for the NFL Network and NFL Red Zone. Prior to that he was at Fox News and E! Entertainment.

“John joins our network at a pivotal time in our industry, as well as in Ovation’s evolution,” said Segars. “While being an independent network comes with its challenges, it also affords us the opportunity to move quickly, try new strategies and reach out to our passionate, arts-loving community to create new, exciting ways to develop and distribute content. We’re looking to John to be a vital part of our ongoing multi-platform distribution strategy.”

Malkin added: “The network is breaking some new ground this year by expanding into new digital businesses and forging relationships with artists who can crossover from the web to linear. The cross-platform opportunities are unlimited.”