Former Pinterest Inc. executive Mike Bidgoli and former BuzzFeed Studios head Matthew Henick will join Facebook Inc.'s video content units.
Bidgoli will head the Facebook Watch product team, while Henick, who had worked at Pinterest for about two years, will lead the social media company's global video content strategy and planning unit, according to the executives' respective announcements.
In addition to the two new executives, the company is also said to be preparing to appoint Eurosport CEO Peter Hutton to lead its live sports initiatives, according to a January report.
In 2017, Facebook stepped up its efforts to become a player in the broader over-the-top video sector, announcing a host of deals to live stream sports on its platform, including soccer, baseball and football, with streams typically on Facebook Live or via team, league or rights holder Facebook pages.
Most of the deals involved nonexclusive English-language rights to stream to users in the U.S., but the increased activity around OTT sports streaming marked Facebook's most ambitious push to date into the sector.
The company also launched Facebook Watch in the U.S. in August 2017. Ricky Van Veen, Facebook head of global creative strategy, earlier described the new video platform as a "campfire" platform where people gather for a shared experience.
The social media company has struck deals to broadcast NFL and World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. content on Facebook Watch since its launch.
