Showtime ups Christie to COO

Long-serving Showtime Networks distribution president Tom Christie has been promoted to COO.

Christie has been with the CBS Corp.-owned premium US channel for a quarter of a century, most recently as president, distribution, business development and network operations.

His promotion comes soon after Showtime president David Nevins replaced another long-serving veteran, Matt Blank, as CEO. Blank remains company chairman.

Christie will continue with his previous duties, but now also oversee planning and execution of new strategies and business ventures.

He will report to Nevins, who said: “Tom is an executive of the highest calibre and is one of our key strategic leaders. He is central to driving our long term growth as we continue to expand onto new platforms, and we’re thrilled that he will be stepping up his role at Showtime Networks.”

Christie has been instrumental in vastly expanding Showtime’s reach on platforms such as Amazon Prime Instant Video and various set-top boxes.