Ex-boss of DirectTV takes on Move job

Roxanne Austin became CEO of Move Networks of Orem in July. (Courtesy of Move Networks)

Roxanne Austin says one of her criteria for taking on a executive position after leaving DirectTV was that the new company had to be a "game-changer." Now, the new CEO says Move Networks Inc. is in the position to change the game of how television can be delivered.

Austin took over the post of CEO and president of the American Fork company on July 13, replacing co-founder John Edwards, who took the title of executive chairman.

"I got very excited about this being the opportunity that could be a game-changer where Move can be a leader in the evolution of television delivered over the Internet that can actually be monetized," said Austin.

Move was incorporated in Utah in 2006 by Edwards and Drew Major to capitalize on a technology that at the time was a unique way of streaming video over the Internet. The software allowed the video stream to be adjusted depending on the speeds of the computer receiving it and the connection to the Internet, which created a smoother, higher quality video experience than other companies could provide.

Now, however, the quality of the streams by competitors has gotten a lot better and the game itself is the subject of bigger ambitions. Instead of viewing short videos as on YouTube or back episodes of television programs such as those on Hulu, television providers and streaming companies want to put an actual television experience on the Internet with the ability to switch from channel to channel at will, record,

But then here's the big part: make a profit at it.

Those two areas -- getting "television" on the Internet and making it pay -- is where Austin believes Move Networks has an advantage.

"We have evolved truly into the only provider that has an end-to-end solution that will allow you to have true television delivered over the Internet, not just watching a show being streamed in high quality," said Austin.

Paying for that experience is the key, with video sites such as YouTube losing money.

"It's going to take advertising and subscriptions to pay for professionally generated content on the Internet," Austin said.

Austin comes on board during an important period for the company, which employs 100 people out of its offices just off Interstate 15, as it gears up to provide the next big television delivery system.

Austin said Move Networks is uniquely positioned with its technology, work force and board vision to be a major player as television adopts the Internet as another way to deliver programs. And, she said, Move Networks is a company she can feel passionate about.

In April, Move Networks bought Britain-based Inuk Networks. With Inuk, Move got software that creates a virtual set-top box much like a cable provider that allows computer users to watch TV like they would on a television.

Combined with Move's streaming capabilities, Inuk's software allows the company to give others such as telephone companies the capacity to offer television as well as traditional phone service over the same wires. Internet TV also could include a social networking aspect in which the viewer can interact with people watching the same shows.

Another possibility is a cable TV subscriber could take his or her cable with him via laptop so that he doesn't have to miss programing while on the road.

"We're at the right time in this industry and we have the right capability to make this happen," said Austin.

Austin said she doesn't plan any personnel changes and indicated she would be working out of the Orem office, though an office in California, where she lives, may be in the offing.

tharvey@sltrib.com