But while there was never any mention of Brotherston's "interim" status in April, his time at the top was always understood to be short-lived, a company spokesman said.

"Ian joined the company to begin the restructuring process while we searched for a permanent CEO, and he's staying on as head of strategy," said the spokesman. "This was always the plan."

Officially, Brotherston will serve as Dailymotion's EVP of international strategy. Tournay most recently served as CEO of Doctissimo, a Eurpean health and medical Web, where he managed its sale and integration into Lagardere group. In April, Brotherston replaced then-CEO Mark Zaleski who left "to pursue other opportunities and spend more time on his other investments," Dailymotion's Board of Directors said.

Prior to than, Brotherston served as commercial director at Red Bee Media, the privatized Broadcast Technology Division of the BBC, Brotherston where has was responsible for strategy, international expansion, new media, sales and marketing, and business growth.

Cementing its position as a global media player, Dailymotion raised $34 million from AGF Private Equity (a division of Allianz AG) and Advent Venture Partners LLP to finance its hasty U.S. invasion in late 2007.

In April, however, French newspaper Le Journal du Net reported that Dailymotion was seeking an additional investment to counter a depressed global online advertising market.

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