Fandango Hires Former Disney Executive Paul Yanover

Former Disney executive Paul Yanover was appointed president of Fandango, a newly created position at the online movie-ticket service owned by Comcast, the company said Monday.

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Yanover will report to Nick Lehman, president of digital for NBC Universal Entertainment Networks and Integrated Media, and he’ll lead Fandango’s overall business strategy with a specific focus on strategic partnerships with movie studios and creating new products.

He’s also expected to beef up Fandango’s original content, such as movie reviews, commentary and celebrity interviews.

At Disney, Yanover was executive vp and managing director of Disney Online, where he led the development of Family.com, FamilyFun.com, Kaboose.com and Babyzone.com. Prior to that, he was senior vp of Disney Parks & Resorts Online.

Yanover also co-founded Ceiva Logic, a company that introduced the first Internet-connected digital picture frame. Most recently, he was head of consulting firm Lookout Interactive Media.

“Paul is the ideal leader to build on the incredible momentum of this business as Fandango broadens its offerings for consumers, advertisers as well as exhibitors -- and maximizes the unique benefits of being a part of NBCUniversal,” said Lehman.

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The company also said Monday that Rick Butler, Fandango’s executive vp and GM, will report to Yanover and continue to run the company’s day-to-day operations, including managing relationships with exhibitors.

Fandango doesn’t disclose how many tickets it sells, but it said Monday that it had best summer season in its 12-year history in terms of ticket sales and traffic, reaching about 41 million monthly unique visitors at its site.