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MySpace Exec Out At Fox Rachel Rosmarin, 11.17.06, 7:30 AM ET Burlingame, Calif. -The executive who arranged the purchase of MySpace for News Corp. has updated his profile. Ross Levinsohn announced his resignation as president of Fox Interactive Media late Thursday. He will be replaced by his cousin, Peter Levinsohn, who had been president of digital media for Fox. Ross Levinsohn’s “strategic vision helped us to establish a strong Internet presence in a very short time and we are enormously grateful for his many contributions,” said News Corp. President Peter Chernin in a statement. It was Ross Levinsohn’s deal-making skills that gave News Corp. the advantage in courting MySpace, which it purchased for $580 million in July 2005. Other companies, including Viacom (nyse: VIA - news - people ), had also tried to negotiate a purchase of the social-networking site. Levinsohn also worked out an advertising deal with Google (nasdaq: GOOG - news - people ), which will likely earn News Corp. $900 million over three years. Ross Levinsohn did not announce his plans. Whether his bosses, including News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch, were unhappy with his performance remains unclear. On Nov. 8, Levinsohn told the San Jose Mercury News that when Murdoch was unhappy with him, he told him so. “I don’t have to guess if [Murdoch] wants me to do something in a certain way; he’s pretty vocal about it.’” Also on Nov. 8, Levinsohn took the stage at the Web 2.0 Conference in San Francisco, telling attendees that his work at Fox on MySpace is “slogging,” and has caused him to gain weight and lose sleep. (See: " Does MySpace Make You Fat?") He also spoke of his plans for Fox Interactive at Forbes’ MEET (Media Electronic Entertainment Technology) conference in October. Peter Levinsohn, who has worked at Fox for 18 years, has been instrumental in developing an Internet strategy for Fox’s television and film content. He has struck deals with Apple Computer (nasdaq: AAPL - news - people ), Microsoft (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people ), and Amazon (nasdaq: AMZN - news - people ) for pay-to-download video. Ross Levinsohn’s departure comes just one day after news from Time Warner (nyse: TWX - news - people )’s AOL that two executives—both of whom Levinsohn shared a stage with at the Web 2.0 Conference—were leaving. Chief executive Jonathan Miller will be replaced by former NBC Universal president Randy Falco, while Netscape General Manager Jason Calacanis is reportedly going as well.

[Forbes News] MySpace Exec Out At Fox