Cablevision Forms Office of Strategic Product Development

Cablevision has formed a new group, called the Office of Strategic Product Development, which it says will focus on long-range new products for and enhancements to its current suite of video, voice and high-speed Internet services. The new group, which will coordinate with Cablevision's existing Corporate Engineering and Technology department, will be co-managed by Wilt Hildenbrand and Kristin Dolan. Hildenbrand, who has worked at Cablevision for over 30 years, currently serves as the MSO's senior advisor of engineering and technology, and was previously its EVP of engineering and technology. In 2005, he received an NCTA Vanguard Award for Science and Technology. Dolan, meanwhile, has spent nearly 20 years at Cablevision and, according to the MSO, was instrumental in the launch and development of its iO TV digital cable service (note: Cablevision's digital service--which has offered interactive TV and VOD since its launch in late 2001--has penetrated to over 90% of the company's subscriber base). After what Cablevision says was "pioneering work" on the iO TV user interface and on-screen navigation system, she went on to become SVP of digital product management; and, more recently, has been providing strategic consulting for the MSO's Madison Square Garden property and related businesses. "We look forward to working together to explore and develop new opportunities for Cablevision's products and further extend our technological superiority in the marketplace," Hildenbrand and Dolan said in a prepared statement. "We will be focusing on navigation across all of our services and technological opportunities in new areas, including digital, data, voice, WiFi, on-demand, commerce, mobile video, security and other home utilities."

The new group will also include Patrick Donoghue and Jonathan Greenfield. Donoghue, who holds the title, SVP of strategic product development, recently returned to Cablevision from Time Warner Cable, where he was VP of ITV product management. From 2001 to 2006, he was VP of digital TV and broadband development at Cablevision, where he played a leadership role in the development of iO TV, focusing specifically on its interactive TV services, navigation and user experience. Greenfield, who will hold the title, SVP of strategic product advancement, has been serving as the VP of Cablevision's Customer Service Operations Center since 2006. From 2000 to 2006, he was the MSO's VP of technology development, in which role his responsibilities included the evaluation, planning and development of customer-facing technologies. Prior to joining Cablevision, the MSO says, he conducted research into distributed computing at Los Alamos National Laboratory, and led large teams through full-lifecycle software development at IBM.