Metacafe names ex-Electronic Arts exec as new CEO

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Metacafe, a rival to Google Inc.'s (GOOG.O) YouTube online video-sharing service, said on Tuesday co-founder Arik Czerniak had stepped aside as chief executive to make way for new CEO Erick Hachenburg.

Hachenburg was previously a senior vice president of the world's biggest video games maker, Electronic Arts Inc. (ERTS.O), in charge of global strategy and its operations in Asia.

Czerniak will remain part of the executive team focused on product strategy issues and business partnerships.

The latest hiring caps the rapid transformation of Metacafe from a start-up based in Israel to one with a new group of senior professional managers which has relocated its headquarters to Palo Alto, California in Silicon Valley.

"Metacafe has now built a world-class management team based in the U.S. around the vision of our founders," said Bud Colligan, who was recently hired as executive chairman of Metacafe after a long career at Macromedia and Apple Computer.

Over the past half year, Metacafe has added three new vice presidents while Czerniak and co-founder Eyal Hertzog have relocated from Israel and to the United States.

Hachenburg is charged with leading Metacafe's overall strategy, overseeing day-to-day operations and expanding the company's position in the short video market, which YouTube has popularized over the past year.

At Electronic Arts, Hachenburg was in charge of global online publishing and managing director of EA China. He set up EA's online production, operations and publishing in Asia. Hachenburg, who previously was founder and casual games maker Pogo.com, joined EA after it acquired Pogo.com in 2001.

Hachenburg began his career as an intellectual property attorney at Silicon Valley technology law firm Fenwick & West.

Metacafe had 17 million unique visitors to its site in December, up from 16 million in November. It has around 65 employees and has received $20 million in funding from venture capital backers led by Accel Partners and Benchmark Capital.