Matthew Ball, who formerly served as director of strategy and business development at Otter Media — a joint online video venture between The Chernin Group and AT&T — has reportedly been tapped to join Amazon Studios as head of strategy, a brand new role.
At Amazon Studios — the division of the e-tail giant that develops original movies and series based on audience feedback — Ball will lead both original and licensed programming strategies. He will also work on user growth, according to Variety, which was first to report the hire.
At Otter Media, which owns OTT video services like Fullscreen and Crunchyroll, Ball was responsible for investments and acquisitions. In his new role, he will report to Amazon Studios COO Albert Cheng and Amazon Studios head Roy Price, Variety reports.
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Ball’s hire arrives as Amazon Studios says it’s doubling down on new content output. In an earnings call last month, for instance, the company pledged to double its investment in video over the next six months — with original content being a focal point. This figure reportedly brings Amazon closer into contention with the $6 billion that Netflix is expected to spend in 2016. Notable projects on the horizon include the Woody Allen series Crisis In Six Scenes, which debuts in September, as well as three new pilots slated to debut on Twitch next week: I Love Dick, Jean-Claude Van Johnson, and The Tick.
