As Vice President (VP) and General Manager (GM), Cox will be responsible for the day-to-day management of Nickelodeon’s brands in Australia and New Zealand, overseeing a diverse business consisting of 24-hour subscription television networks available in over 4 million households, digital platforms, live events, recreation destinations, consumer products, local production and programme sales.
Cox comes to Nickelodeon Networks after a decade-plus career within the subscription television industry. Joining Nickelodeon Networks after serving as the General Manager of content aggregation at Foxtel, Cox will assume the position of Vice President and General Manager from Jihee Nam, who is leaving the company at the end of January 2017.
Cox will report to Richardson and will be based at Nickelodeon’s East Sydney headquarters, with the new gig kicking off in mid-February 2017.
Prior to his role at Foxtel, he served as the head of channel partnerships and as business development manager since joining the company in 2008. Prior to that, he was a strategy analyst and a product manager at AUSTAR Entertainment Pty Ltd.
During his time at Foxtel, Cox played a key role in the November 2015 launch of the Nick Play app, which offered Australian kids access to hundreds of Nickelodeon-themed videos, original short-form animation and games as well as full-length episodes of Nickelodeon’s biggest hits for Foxtel subscribers.
Cox also managed content aggregation for the December 2016 launch of the Foxtel Kids app, and in 2014, worked closely with Viacom International Media Networks to maximise the distribution growth of Nick Jr. when the pre-school channel moved into the basic Entertainment Pack.
Cox is an alternate director on the board of Nickelodeon Australia Management Pty Ltd, the joint venture between Viacom International Media Networks and Foxtel that operates all Nickelodeon-branded businesses in Australia and New Zealand.
“Ben has always championed the value kids’ brands bring to Foxtel, and he comes into this role with a nuanced expertise I’m confident will continue to drive Nickelodeon’s success,” said Richardson.
“His familiarity with our business combined with a top-notch reputation makes him the perfect choice to lead the Nickelodeon business in Australia and New Zealand.”
“As one of the most globally recognised and widely distributed multimedia entertainment brands for kids and family, Nickelodeon has been a trailblazer in Australia for over 20 years. I’m looking forward to joining a passionate and kid-centric team that consistently creates innovative entertainment experiences for both kids and kids-at-heart.”
Sources: B&T, Mediaweek, AdNews.
Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nickelodeon Australia & New Zealand News and Highlights!
