Red Seat Ventures, the creator-focused digital operation acquired last February by Fox Corp., has named Chris Peterson VP of Business Development.
Housed in the media company’s Tubi Media Group, Red Seat works with notable personalities like Megyn Kelly, Piers Morgan and Tucker Carlson. The division has helped a range of personalities build their presence across podcasts, YouTube, social media and other platforms.
In his new role, Peterson will focus on identifying and executing M&A opportunities in podcasting and the broader creator economy, Fox Corp. said. He will report to Red Seat Ventures CEO Chris Balfe.
Prior to his new post, Peterson has established his credentials across the realms of M&A, monetization strategies, and finding growth opportunities. He founded and ran DWNLOAD Media, a strategic advisory firm focused on podcasting and creators that had a partnership with Red Seat Ventures.
Peterson also held the post of EVP of Podcasting at iHeartMedia, where he steered the company’s overall podcast strategy and helped oversee the $55 million acquisition of HowStuffWorks. He also was president at investment firm LionTree, advising on podcast-related deals.
At the end of 2024, Red Seat had a roster of 17 creator-led shows, which collectively drew 200 million monthly active views and ranked as a Top 10 U.S. podcast network in terms of scale and reach. The creator focus is a fit with several recent initiatives at Tubi, the free, ad-supported streaming platform acquired by Fox in 2020.
“Chris is a like-minded, long time partner and proven leader with deep experience in the podcasting and creator media space. His track record of identifying opportunities to build and scale through acquisition and organic growth will serve us well as we look to continue to expand Red Seat Ventures’ and Fox’s position in the market,” Balfe said in a statement.
