YouTube has tapped Verizon executive Miguel Quiroga as VP of product partnerships, effective September 12. Variety initially reported the news, and Quiroga confirmed the appointment in a LinkedIn post.
Quiroga will be tasked with managing and developing partnerships for YouTube’s technology suite, including YouTube’s app on mobile and connected TVs, YouTube Music and YouTube TV. He will report to YouTube’s chief business officer Robert Kyncl.
“I am excited about this next step in my career, where I will use my experience to drive innovative partnerships across YouTube’s portfolio of products,” Quiroga said in a statement.
Quiroga joins YouTube after spending over 20 years at Verizon, where he most recently served as SVP of platforms and ecosystems. He also spent three years as CEO of Verizon-owned Visible, the operator’s lower-cost wireless brand.
Quiroga succeeds Heather Rivera, who exited Google in February to become VP of strategy, corporate development and partnerships at Instacart.
YouTube’s appointment of Quiroga comes shortly after The Wall Street Journal reported the company may launch a “channel store,” an aggregation streaming platform similar to those on Roku or Amazon.
The platform has been in the works for at least 18 months, according to the report, and could be available as early as this fall. People familiar with the matter told WSJ YouTube is discussing splitting subscription revenue for streaming partners.
The channel store may be a way for YouTube to tap into revenue potential in the connected TV space. YouTube accounts for over 50% of ad-supported streaming time on U.S. connected TVs, according to Nielsen.
YouTube, along with YouTube TV, also caught 6.9% of streaming view shares in June, per Nielsen’s The Gauge report.
The video platform is potentially entering a lucrative market, as consumers seek aggregation in their streaming services. Hub Entertainment Research found most consumers strongly prefer video aggregation because it makes content easier to find and enables a single bill for a user’s streaming apps.
YouTube has about 2.6 billion monthly active users as of July. So, if it were to launch a streaming video aggregator, it may reach a larger audience than other aggregators could.
Currently, users on YouTube can buy or rent various movie and show titles as well as access live TV through YouTube TV. The platform in March added a free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) hub, including full seasons of TV shows available for free.
Other media companies have also tried their hands at developing a video aggregator. Smart TV maker Vizio debuted last week a tool that allows users to manage multiple streaming services from one device. Plex in April integrated a one-stop navigation window into its platform, so users can more easily figure out where to watch content.