Pac-12 Networks hired a longtime cable industry veteran to try to solve its distribution problems.
Alden Mitchell Budill will be head of distribution, overseeing the network’s affiliate sales and marketing department. She replaces Art Marquez, senior vice president of affiliate relations, who left the network in March.
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BUDILL
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One of the first items on Budill’s to-do list will be to set up a meeting with DirecTV, the satellite operator that has not carried any of the Pac-12 Networks channels since their 2012 launch.
Budill also will focus on international expansion, something that the conference views as a growth opportunity. The channel wants to build off its deal to stream one conference game each week to China. The conference also is looking to build on the annual basketball game it plays in China with possibly more events.
Budill comes to the Pac-12 from Discovery Communications where she was a vice president of distribution strategy, tasked with persuading distributors to carry the Oprah Winfrey Network.
The networks also hired Wesley Mallette as vice president of communications, replacing Kirk Reynolds, who left the network in May. Mallette comes to the networks from the University of California, Berkeley, where he was associate athletic director for strategic communications.
Other network moves include a trio of promotions: Ned Watkins to senior vice president of integrated marketing and sales, and Ryan Currier and Mark Kramer to vice presidents and co-heads of the digital department.
