Netflix names Snapchat execs as its first advertising leaders

Netflix named Snapchat ad executives to lead the development of its global ad strategy and the teams to run its ads business as the streaming giant makes its first foray into advertising. Read: What Netflix's new ad hires mean for Snap Jeremi Gorman will join the streaming giant as president, worldwide advertising, and Peter Naylor has been named VP, advertising sales. Gorman will report to Greg Peters, Netflix’s chief operating officer and chief product officer, and will be the first ad executive to join the company. Naylor will lead the North America sales team and report to Gorman. Both will start in September. Their appointments come as Netflix prepares to launch its ad-supported tier in early 2023. The company has revealed few details about its ad plans, but reports have indicated that its kids' programming and new movies will remain commercial-free, it will block the ability to download movies and TV shows, and the new ad tier could cost anywhere from $7 to $9 per month. Gorman and Naylor both join Netflix from Snap, Inc., where they currently serve as chief business officer and VP of Americas, respectively. “Jeremi’s deep experience in running ad businesses and Peter’s background in leading ad sales teams together will be key as we expand membership options for consumers through a new ad-supported offering,” Peters said in a statement. Gorman will be charged with building Netflix’s ad business from the ground up. “We're just at the beginning, but look forward to delivering the best experiences for Netflix members and the advertising community, of which I have proudly been a part for over 20 years,” she said in a statement. On Tuesday, The Verge reported that Snap plans to lay off about 20% of its staff, citing people familiar with the matter. Gorman joined Snap in October 2018. She had previously served as head of global ad sales at Amazon. Naylor joined Snap in April 2020 and has led the platform’s advertising in the U.S. and the rest of the Americas. Naylor has prior experience in streaming TV as head of advertising sales at Hulu for more than six years, where he was credited with more than tripling the Disney-owned platform’s ad revenue as well as developing its interactive advertising and data products. He also spent seven years as executive VP of digital media sales for NBCUniversal. “It has been great to see the excitement amongst the advertiser community about Netflix's upcoming ads-supported offering. I’m excited to be joining the team and look forward to helping our advertisers connect with Netflix members around the world,” Naylor said in a statement. Last month, Netflix announced Microsoft would be the streamer’s partner in developing its digital advertising infrastructure. Peters previously praised Microsoft’s collaborative and turn-key approach to the partnership as the company looks to fast-track its ad-supported tier. Read: How Snap is restructuring its ad business

Netflix names Snapchat execs as its first advertising leaders

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