Netflix Inc. lured two of Snap Inc鈥檚 top executives to lead its advertising sales team, the company announced Tuesday, poaching two people that lent the social media company credibility with brand marketers.
Netflix confirmed it hired Snap鈥檚 chief business officer, Jeremi Gorman, as its new president of worldwide advertising. It also brought in Snap鈥檚 vice president of ad sales, Peter Naylor, in the same role at the streaming service.
The hiring of these two veterans signals Netflix鈥檚 commitment to building an ad-supported version of the company鈥檚 streaming service, which is expected to launch next year.
鈥淵ou have two executives that are incredibly well positioned to help Netflix move quickly,鈥� said LightShed Partners partner Rich Greenfield. 鈥淭hey have incredible relationships with brands and advertisers who will want to advertise on Netflix.鈥�
Gorman is a well-respected executive who previously spent six years at Amazon.com. She arrived at Snap in 2018, at a time when the service was losing executives. Her arrival was seen as bringing credibility to Snap鈥檚 ad-sales business.
Naylor served as Hulu鈥檚 senior vice president of ad sales for six years before joining Snap in 2020. He attempted to help Snap capture more television ad dollars.
Snap confirmed the executive departures but declined to comment further.
Netflix has been assembling the pieces to launch a less-expensive version of its streaming service with commercials. In July, it announced a partnership with Microsoft Corp. to provide ad technology. The new executives will bring established relationships with advertisers looking to advertise on Netflix.
鈥淚t sends a message that Netflix is really serious about building an ad business quickly,鈥� Greenfield said.