Sling Media Hires Former MTV Execs
The maker of the popular Slingbox device has hired two executives from MTV's digital business to head a new interactive programming division, although it's not quite clear yet what exactly they would be doing.
Former MTV Networks chief digital officer Jason Hirschhorn and digital media vice president Ben White will join the company to form the Sling Media Entertainment Group. Hirschhorn has been named president, while White would serve as Chief Creative Officer.
Details on the new division were scant, although the company says the two "will be responsible for creating next-generation entertainment experiences for the Slingbox community and beyond." The applications and services developed would make use of the company's new devices.
All efforts with content creators and distributors, as well as Sling Media's advertisers, would now be managed by the new division. Goals of the group are to make television watching via the Internet more interactive, and it plans to announce programming partners in January.
"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," Sling Media and CEO Blake Krikorian said.
Both Hirschhorn and White can be credited with assisting MTV in creating its broadband Overdrive network. Krikorian says that these services have begun to heighten consumer interest in online interactive video, and Sling is hoping to capitalize on that further through their hires.