Albert Cheng is moving up at Amazon.
Cheng, who had been Chief Operating Officer at Amazon Studios, has been promoted to Vice President, Prime Video U.S., a new role under Prime Video chief Mike Hopkins.
Cheng previously reported to Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios, and will now report to Hopkins, who is SVP Prime Video & Amazon Studios.
The move means that Cheng will oversee the U.S. business side of the entertainment operations, with Salke overseeing content. It is a similar structure to that of Disney, where Dana Walden oversees the content, after her recent promotion, with Kareem Daniels overseeing distribution.
Salke continues to report to former Sony Pictures TV chairman Hopkins.
The move comes after a big six months for Amazon in the entertainment space, acquiring MGM, launching The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and kicking off Thursday Night Football.
Cheng will become the “single-threaded leader” overseeing the company’s Prime Video business in the U.S. with responsibility for P&L and revenue growth. He will head up its brand strategy, brand social, influencer marketing, marketing operations, media and audience insights, and will be responsible for customer acquisition, retention, and engagement with its entertainment hub across SVOD, AVOD, and marketplace.
Hopkins, in an internal note, said, “In thinking about how we position ourselves to build on this growth, it became clear to me that we need a dedicated leader to focus on our U.S. Prime Video business.” (Read the full note below.)
He added that Cheng will soon reveal how he will organize his team. Amazon will also reveal how the Studios COO role and Studios content marketing organization will be structured.
Team,
2022 has been a very strong year marked by tremendous growth and success for Prime Video. From acquiring MGM to the record-breaking success of The Rings of Power to last week’s kick-off of Thursday Night Football to this summer’s launch of Clean Slate, this team has come together and transformed Prime Video in many ways. I am so proud of what you have all accomplished and how you continue to deliver for and prioritize our customers.
In thinking about how we position ourselves to build on this growth, it became clear to me that we need a dedicated leader to focus on our US Prime Video business. To that end, I’d like to share that Albert Cheng will take on the newly created role of VP, Prime Video US, effective immediately and reporting to me.
Albert will become the single-threaded leader overseeing our Prime Video business in the United States, with responsibility for the P&L and revenue growth, and for driving and improving performance. He will continue his leadership of US and Global tentpole programming strategy and consumer insights. Albert will also head up Prime Video brand strategy, brand social, influencer marketing, marketing operations, media and audience insights, and will be responsible for customer acquisition, retention, and engagement with our entertainment hub across SVOD, AVOD, and Marketplace.
You will be hearing more soon on how Albert is going to organize his team and how the Studios COO role and Studios content marketing organization will be structured.
This is a critical role, requiring the ability to think big and to deliver operational results. I can’t think of anyone better than Albert to take it on. Please join me in congratulating him on his new role.
-Mike