Versus looked to Asia in finding a replacement for Gavin Harvey as president of the network, hiring Jamie Davis to assume the post.
A 17-year TV veteran, Davis officially will start working for Versus in September.
Davis comes to the network after an extensive international career where most recently he was managing director of ESPN Star Sports, the Asian joint venture between News Corp. and ESPN. Previously, he was president of News Corp. China.
Davis, 41, is replacing Harvey, who told Comcast officials last year that he would not move when the network relocates from Stamford, Conn., to Philadelphia this summer. Harvey will remain a consultant with the network through 2008.
Jeff Shell, the president of Comcast’s Programming Group, said that he still hopes to find a New York-based job at Comcast for Harvey. Shell credited Harvey with creating a market position for Versus that is “authentic and raw instead of Hollywood and schticky.”
When Davis takes the reins, he will not make wholesale changes, Shell said. He wants the executive to further the network’s strategy of focusing on exclusive programming, such as the NHL and Tour de France.
“We have a 10-year plan for Versus,” Shell said. “We don’t want to reposition the network.”
One of Davis’ main tasks will be to create a studio news show, Shell said. Perhaps his biggest charge will be to increase Versus’ distribution from 76 million to full cable/satellite distribution of 96 million homes. Both ESPN and ESPN2 are in more than 96 million homes.
Shell is satisfied that Versus has developed into an effective alternative to ESPN, diving deeper into the sports that it carries.
“ESPN has to cover everything,” he said. “When the NCAA ends, it has to start covering the NBA. We have the luxury of … really surrounding our segments.
“There’s room for other broad-based sports channels. It’s amazing that there aren’t any.”
Davis started his TV career in 1991 as manager of finance for CBS Sports. In 1994 he became vice president of business operations for Fox Sports. In that role, he helped the network add rights to the NHL and MLB.
He moved to Hong Kong in 1996, where he started his international career.
