Rovi names discovery chief

Michael Hawkey

TV search and discovery and user guide specialist Rovi has named Michael Hawkey as senior vice-president and general manager of its Discovery business group.

In this role, Hawkey will lead the growth initiatives, overall strategy and profitability in multiple areas across the Discovery group’s product development, including product lifecycle management, programme management and product marketing, and will also oversee the engineering, architecture and user experience of Rovi’s discovery products.

Hawkey, who was previously senior vice-president and general manager for EchoStar’s Sling Media, will report to John Burke, Rovi’s executive vice president and chief operating officer.

“With more than 25 years of industry experience, Michael brings tremendous expertise to Rovi and a solid track record in driving digital entertainment software and solutions across multiple screens and mobile devices worldwide,” said John Burke, executive vice president and chief operating officer, Rovi. “Michael’s leadership in successfully managing product development and bringing next-generation products to market makes him well-suited to support Rovi’s rapidly growing Discovery business.”