The FierceVideo editorial team is proud to present its inaugural Emerging Leaders Awards, recognizing the brightest young professionals rising up the ranks of the streaming video and pay TV industry. Throughout the months of June and July we’ll be featuring these profiles with each of our finalists. We will announce the winners during our upcoming OTT Blitz Week of virtual panels happening during the last week in July.
Ashley Hovey/Roku:
Ashley Hovey is the director of AVOD growth at Roku, where she is responsible for the Kids & Family business, the linear business and driving overall partner strategy, monetization and audience engagement with AVOD partners on Roku. She oversaw the launch Kids & Family on the Roku Channel in August 2019, which has become a top kids ad-supported channel on the Roku platform since its launch.
Hovey also manages the linear business within the Roku Channel, which she grew from four partners in 2018 to currently more than 50. Linear viewing now makes up an important portion of viewing for the Roku channel overall.
What her colleagues are saying:
“Ashley is an integral part of The Roku Channel team where she drives the overall AVOD partner strategy, and was responsible for the launch of Kids & Family on The Roku Channel in 2019. Ashley’s accomplishments and leadership at Roku demonstrate her bright future in the streaming media video space and we are excited that she is a finalist for the FierceVideo Emerging leader award.” - Rob Holmes, Vice President of Programming at Roku
Streaming Industry Q&A:
What streaming services do you subscribe to?
All of them. I am always looking for new content and news ways to interact with content.
What are your favorite shows you’re watching in 2020?
I love a good procedural, like "Madam President," or action series like "Jack Ryan." I am also beginning to discover "Veep" for the first time.
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
Launching the Kids & Family section on the Roku Channel. Being part of this great company at the forefront of streaming, and working with our product teams and partners to bring the best entertainment to Roku.
What’s next for you in terms of new challenges in streaming TV?
We are have just entered the streaming decade. There is so much great content available on streaming platforms and more coming this year -– major players like Disney+, Apple TV+ and more turning to streaming for distribution. In 2020 we are focused on enhancing the experience for customers and bringing more great content to the channel. We will continue to invest in providing partners with sophisticated promotional tools and rapidly evolving product features to drive incremental viewing hours and acquire new subscribers.