Exclusive: Fox studio names ex-NBCU cable exec to new digital role

The 20th Century Fox movie studio has hired Salil Mehta, a former NBCUniversal executive, as president of content management, a newly created position that includes oversight of digital media and worldwide television distribution, Fox said on Friday.

In the new role, Mehta will coordinate content distribution across all media, including digital and emerging platforms, Fox said in a statement. He will also oversee strategic planning and business development, as well as technology activities.

Mehta will report to Jim Gianopulos, chief executive of 20th Century Fox Film, the studio behind hit movies including "Avatar" and the "X-Men" franchise. Mehta, who previously served as chief operating officer at the NBCUniversal division that oversaw some of its cable networks, will begin the new job on Monday.

The 20th Century Fox studio is a unit of Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox. Comcast Corp owns NBCUniversal.

(Reporting By Ronald Grover and Lisa Richwine; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)