• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, January 30, 2012

Pac-12 Enterprises has hired David Aufhauser as vice president and general manager of digital media.

The hire comes as the subsidiary of the Pac-12 college conference is preparing to launch a series of new sports networks to showcase the teams of its participating schools. Fox and ESPN will continue to have rights to separate Pac-12 game packages. 

Aufhauser will oversee all aspects of the Pac-12’s digital business, as well as the creation and management of the Pac-12 Digital Network. The digital network will be aligned with the TV networks and enable the conference to distribute many more events that otherwise would receive no exposure. 

The digital network will feature hundreds of live Pac-12 athletic events and other original programming from the conferences' 12 campuses. It will offer live streaming, mobile technology and social TV capabilities, allowing consumers to watch Pac-12 events on an array of devices.  

 The new network is expected to launch in August in time for the new college sports season.

“We have an exciting opportunity to create a meaningful and lasting digital media platform to enrich our fans connection to the Pac-12 Conference,"stated Pac-12 Enterprises President Gary Stevenson. He cited Aufhauser's "knowledge, creativity and experience" as assets in the space.

Aufhauser, was previously a vice president at Say Media, where he managed the global ad network. Previously, he was the chief business officer at video streaming company Justin.tv, heading up business development and strategy.  

Earlier, Aufhauser led business development and operations at Yahoo Sports. Before that, he held posts at Bebo, Citizen Sports, Evite and Netscape.  

Pac-12 recently hired longtime agency and network TV sales veteran Bill Cella as as chief revenue officer.