--Signs Deal with Wireless Carrier, the 3 Group
TV place-shifting company, Sling Media, has hired two high-profile ex-MTV digital media executives, Jason Hirschhorn and Benjamin White, to head up a newly created Sling Media Entertainment Group. The company says that the new group, which will be based in New York City (note: Sling Media is headquartered in San Mateo, California), will be tasked with creating "next-generation entertainment experiences" for users of its flagship Slingbox product "and beyond." According to Sling Media, the group will develop new applications and services that are enabled by the Slingbox's "marriage of familiar TV programming and richly interactive Web-connected devices." In addition, it will be responsible for managing Sling Media's existing and future collaborative efforts with content creators, distributors and advertisers. "Jason and Ben bring a wealth of knowledge, experience and relationships with them and are true thought leaders in the digital entertainment space," Sling Media co-founder, chairman and CEO, Blake Krikorian, said in a prepared statement. "I am thrilled they have joined Sling Media and excited about the direction our company is taking as we leverage the great enthusiasm for the Slingbox and create new wickedly cool experiences for consumers. Jason and Ben were some of the key leaders behind MTV's expansion into the online world and the combination of their experience and forward thinking adds a powerful new dimension to Sling Media."
Hirschhorn, who will serve as president of the new group, joins Sling Media from TripleH Media Advisors, a digital media consultancy that he co-founded after leaving MTV Networks earlier this year. At MTV, he served as chief digital officer, in which role he was responsible for the company's digital media businesses and interactive strategy. He joined MTV Networks in March 2000, via the acquisition of Mischief New Media, a Web site design and content-development firm that he founded. White, meanwhile, who will hold the title chief creative officer, was previously VP of digital media for MTV Networks, where, according to Sling Media, he was responsible for managing programming, production and product development for the company's digital businesses. Among other things, he oversaw the launch of its broadband video service, MTV Overdrive.
In other Sling Media news: the company has signed a deal with wireless carrier, the 3 Group, that will enable the latter's customers to use the Slingbox to access their home TV service (including terrestrial, digital terrestrial, cable and satellite services), as well as programming recorded on their DVR, on their mobile handsets over 3's 3G wireless network (note: Sling Media's service allows customers to use their home DVR's trick-play controls remotely). The deal marks the first time that Sling Media has partnered with a major mobile operator. The companies announced their partnership as part of 3 parent Hutchison Whampoa's international launch of a new mobile broadband service, dubbed the X-Series: in order to use the Slingbox to deliver their home TV service to their mobiles, 3 customers will have to subscribe to the X-Series service (note: the latter is scheduled to be available in the UK this month and in 3's other markets by early next year), and will have to have SlingPlayer Mobile software on their mobile phones. The software is pre-installed on two new handsets offered by 3: the Nokia N73 and the Sony Ericsson W950i. "Working together with 3 has enabled us to push the boundaries of TV viewing further than ever before," Sling Media's Krikorian said in a prepared statement. "3 understands the power of mobile broadband to deliver compelling, value-added applications and services like a truly personalized mobile TV experience and we are thrilled to be working with them. The availability of SlingPlayer Mobile for 3 customers is a major b*reakthrough in mobile TV viewing. Customers can now view all the programs they love to watch at home whilst on the move via their mobile phone." Its deal with the 3 Group will also see Sling Media providing Slingbox and SlingPlayer Mobile technical support to 3 customers in the UK and Scandinavia through its partner, Stream, and to 3 customers in Hong Kong through its partner, Synergy Technologies. The company says it will announce its tech support partner or partners for the rest of Europe in 2007.
Originally Published: December 5, 2006 in [itvt] Issue 7.08 Part 1
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