Yvette J. Alberdingk Thijm is leaving Joost

July 9, 2008

The architect of Joost’s many splashy TV deals is leaving the company. Yvette J. Alberdingk Thijm was named executive director of Witness, a human rights organization founded by Peter Gabriel.

Thijm was Executive Vice President of Content Strategy & Acquisition at Joost. In the past year Joost has been busy remaking the P2P TV service into a Web-based application that consumers would be more likely to use and has not announced many new major content deals. Joost is expected to relaunch the service later this summer.

Thijm’s departure further thins the ranks of Joost employees who were around for the Internet TV service’s heyday. Joost recently hired two programming execs from Paris-based video sharing site Dailymotion: Danny Passman was named global head of programming strategy, and John Schultz, director of programming strategy.

Before Joost, Thijm was EVP of business affairs for MTV Networks International, where she oversaw business affairs for all of its branded businesses and channels worldwide (outside the U.S.A.), including digital media initiatives, audiovisual co-productions, new business development, strategic partnerships and joint ventures.. She has been on the board of Witness since 2005. Her last day at Joost is July 15.