Julie Rieger, who formerly served as Fox’s president, chief data strategist and head of media, has been named chief executive of VUniverse, a new platform aiming to help viewers trim the time they spend scrolling through titles and select a show or movie they want to stream, on Monday.
Rieger joins VUniverse after spending more than a decade as a top executive at Fox, before leaving the company last year. During her run at Fox, Rieger helped bring major releases like “Avatar,” “Deadpool” and “Hidden Figures” to the silver screen.
She’ll now be working to expand VUniverse, which launched last year, and looks to pull in more users who are tired of spending too much time looking for the right thing to stream across their handful of services.
“We are focused on developing VU as the central hub for every viewer’s streaming needs. Our mission is to unify popular and undiscovered programming across streaming services, keeping the viewer’s preferences top of mind,” Rieger said in a statement. “I look forward to working with the team of entertainment alums with a passion for storytelling; Monica, Evelyn, and my former 20th Century colleague Rick Kloiber.”
VUniverse asks new users for their show and movie preferences, then recommends content across a number of streaming services that fit its users’ tastes. The free, New York City-based app is available on both iOS and Android, as well as online. It recommends content from a number of services and streaming libraries, including: Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, HBO, Apple TV+, and YouTube Premium,, along with the libraries of ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, TBS, PBS, The CW, and USA. The goal is to essentially be a one-stop streaming guide for users.
The company’s website says: “With a practically endless number of movies and TV shows available across streaming services, we created VUniverse with one goal in mind: to answer the timeless question, what should I watch?”
With Rieger joining, co-founder Evelyn Watters will take on a new role as chief innovation officer, while co-founder Monica Brady will remain chief operating officer.
“We’re thrilled for Julie to join our team. Her expertise in and devotion to the film and entertainment industries is key as VU establishes itself as the leading channel guide and recommendation platform of the streaming world,” Watters said in a statement. “Her creative mind, strategic force and entrepreneurial spirit is exactly what is needed to lead VU into the future.”
Rieger will be based out of Brooklyn, according to her LinkedIn profile.