Apple hires Amazon Fire TV head to lead Apple TV

Apple's TV efforts are about to get a boost-- from a former Amazon exec.

Timothy Twerdahl, a former director of Amazon's Fire TV business has left the online retail giant to become the vice president of marketing for Apple's Apple TV business.

The news of Twerdahl's switch from Amazon to Apple was first spotted by Bloomberg. Twerdahl's LinkedIn profile confirms the move.

In bringing in Twerdahl, Apple adds an executive with a strong background in internet streaming. According to his LinkedIn profile, prior to heading up Amazon's Fire TV business, the unit behind the Fire TV streaming box and streaming stick, Twerdahl worked at Roku and Netflix.

The hire is the latest of Apple's moves in the streaming space. Earlier this year it was revealed that a Carpool Karaoke series, a spin-off of the viral James Corden late-night bit, would appear on Apple Music streaming service this spring.

Who's on tap for James Corden's 'Carpool Karaoke' Apple Music spinoff?

Apple doesn't disclose how many Apple TVs it sells, grouping the device in the "other products" category alongside iPods, Beats headphones and the Apple Watch. The division generated just over $4 billion in revenue, according to the company's first-quarter earnings released last week. That was a boost from the $2.4 billion Apple brought in during the fourth quarter of 2016, but an 8% drop from the $4.4 billion the category generated in the same period in 2016.

Follow Eli Blumenthal on Twitter @eliblumenthal