Univision Communications has named Michael Schwimmer to the new post of president, global platform strategy and revenue.

One of those platforms is the Spanish-language broadcaster’s new unified streaming service that is slated to launch later this year. Univision is in the process of merging with Mexico’s Televisa to form what the broadcasters say will be the world’s largest Spanish-language media company. 

Schwimmer will be responsible for extending the global reach of the combined Univision and Televisa libraries of more than 300,000 hours of content, including working on global app distribution for a new, unified, streaming service.

Before getting the new job, Schwimmer was group president of Sling TV and executive VP of parent Dish Network. 

His resume also includes a stint as president and CEO of Fuse Media. He is a board member of the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE).

“Michael will complement our team by leading global distribution for the combined library of Televisa and Univision content, including all subscription and content licensing activities, and will oversee our efforts to ensure that thousands of hours of our Spanish-language content reaches valued audiences worldwide,” said Univision CEO Wade Davis, to whom Schwimmer will report. 

Sling TV Group President Warren Schlichting has left the company.

He’ll be replaced by veteran Dish Network programming and marketing executive Michael Schwimmer, who returned to the company last year. 

Also read: Sling TV: Everything You Need to Know About the vMVPD as It Fights For Relevance Amid Dish’s Wireless Future

Schlichting had a nine-year run at Dish Network, and was put in charge of all aspects of virtual MVPD Sling TV in December 2017. He also led program licensing negotiations for both the Dish Network satellite TV and Sling TV platforms. 

Sling TV has hit a growth wall of late, losing around 375,000 subscribers in the last two quarters. Through March 31, it had 2.31 million customers, down 4.7% year over year. 

Sling TV has deployed several aggressive promotional campaigns during the pandemic, essentially offering its programming free of charge. It appears as though subscriber growth in the second quarter hasn't materialized. 

Schwimmer is a Stanford MBA who worked at Dish from 1996-2005 before leaving to become CEO of Fuse Media. He becomes the third executive to take over the five-year-old Sling TV platform. Former CEO Roger Lynch fled to Pandora in 2018, shortly after Schlichting was slotted in rung above him. 

Separately on Monday, Dish announced several executive moves related to its wireless business. Industry veteran Dave Mayo has joined the company as  executive VP of network development. Mayo will oversee Dish's "buildout strategy and execution of the company's deployment of the nation's first standalone 5G network," the company said.

 Jeff Blum has been promoted to executive VP of external and legislative affairs. And John Swieringa has been named group president, retail wireless, and will retain his duties as dish chief operating officer. 

Long time media executive and former Fuse CEO Michael Schwimmer will join Dish Network and its sister streaming service Sling TV in June as EVP of international, business development and strategy, the satellite company said Tuesday. He will report to Dish EVP of programming and group president of Sling TV Warren Schlichting.

Schwimmer will be responsible for growing the company’s Dish TV and Sling TV multicultural businesses, as well as pursuing development and partnership opportunities in the U.S. and abroad for Sling.

“Michael is one of the key architects of what has become the Dish TV and Sling TV international businesses, and everything we are doing today traces directly back to his early work at Dish delivering international content,” Schlichting said in a press release. “His track record of creativity and innovation in our industry will be a tremendous asset for Dish as we seek growth in our international offerings.”

Schwimmer first joined Dish Network in 1996 as a member of its legal team and later was tapped to lead the company’s marketing and programming organization, playing a key role in launching the Dish International and DishLatino brands. He left Dish in 2005 to lead SiTV, later rebranded NUVOtv, a premier English-language destination for Latino entertainment. In 2014 he oversaw the acquisition of the Fuse Media enterprise from the Madison Square Garden Company. He resigned from Fuse in April. 

“My career has been devoted to helping build new businesses that champion great content for diverse audiences,” Schwimmer said in a press release. “I look forward to making a contribution to help grow the already strong position of the Dish brands as the destinations for the best multicultural content available and create new opportunities for the Sling platform.”

Longtime Fuse Media executive Michael Schwimmer has resigned from his position as CEO, the network said Monday.

Fuse COO/CFO Mike Roggero has been named interim CEO and will oversee operations for the Latino and multicultural youth-themed company.

Schwimmer, who will depart effective April 12, has served as CEO of the company since 2005. He oversaw the network’s growth and rebrand from then SiTV Media to NUVOtv in 2011 before spearheading the company’s 2014 acquisition of Fuse from Madison Square Garden Company.

RELATED: Fuse CEO Michael Schwimmer Looks to Reach Young, Multicultural Viewer (Video)

In 2012 Schwimmer established an historic strategic alliance entertainer/entrepreneur, Jennifer Lopez, including a multi-faceted collaboration with her company, Nuyorican Productions. 

RELATED: Jennifer Lopez talks about NuvoTV production deal (Video)

“Michael’s grit and determination over the years – often in the face of long odds - have been a key ingredient to our culture and our success,” Roggero said in a statement. “We’ll greatly miss his steady hand and sense of humor.”

Added Schwimmer: “I have spent nearly 16 years working closely with this incredible company, its board, executive team and some of the most talented people in media and entertainment, and am very proud of what we have built together. I am excited about what’s next, both for myself and with Fuse, and glad to know that the company is in the excellent hands of a strong executive team under the leadership of Mike Roggero – someone who has played a large role in setting Fuse up for future success.”

Roggero takes over the company after serving as an integral part of its leadership team for more than 12 years. Roggero has overseen the company’s multiplatform operations, finance, legal, pricing and planning and technology departments, and is responsible for the company’s relationships with the investment and analyst community.

RELATED: FUSE Blasts Comcast for Dropping Network 

New York -- Independent networks navigating the increasingly fragmented TV market need to differentiate themselves beyond just better pricing and more choice to be successful, they also need to take a stand, Fuse TV CEO Michael Schwimmer told a packed audience at the Multichannel News/B&C Hispanic TV Summit Thursday.

Schwimmer told Multichannel News and B&C managing director of content Mark Robichaux that with so many ways for consumers to access content -- including Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and a growing number of virtual MVPDs -- independent networks have to offer something truly different.

"To have any success with platforms, be they pay platforms or other platforms, you need to be highly differentiated," Schwimmer said. "You need to give them something they otherwise don't have readily available in a cost effective manner."

For Fuse, that means targeting a young Latino and multicultural audience with content that resonates with them -- shows that feature Latinos in lead roles and that depict the Latino community as a part of mainstream society.

"I don't think television reflects that yet," Schwimmer said. "When you deliver that to viewers in a non-preachy way, it's just fun, it's entertainment, but you see somebody on screen who looks like you and maybe like your neighbor or like your cousin, it's going to feel good."

But just reflecting the community isn't enough. Schwimmer added that network brands need to stand for something other than just "big tent" entertainment.

"It's very hard to be a legacy general entertainment network," Schwimmer said. "The 'Big Tent' today is Instagram, Facebook, HBO, Netflix. Once get to come down 10,000 feet, you need to stand for something specific. The question is, what does your brand stand for? HBO has done a great job of doing that. In our case, it's very clear -- it's Latino, it's multicultural, it's young, there's a music filter to it. It's non-scripted, so if you're looking for a great drama, don't come to us. we're very specific about what we offer and who we offer it to. Which means we're not going to appeal to everybody, but we're going to appeal to some people. Hopefully they'll be passionate about what we do."

He added that viewers, especially young viewers, show more allegiance to shows where they feel a connection, where buying into the brand means something. He mentioned Toms Shoes, which gives a free pair of shoes to a needy child for every pair it sells. 

"As a network you're an environment and you're environment needs to mean something and stand for something broader than any individual show," Schwimmer said.

Fuse Media has tapped digital media executive Patrick Courtney as its new senior vice president of digital strategy and operations, the network announced Friday (June 30).

In his new role Courtney will be responsible for expanding Fuse’s digital and social media platforms, as well as the development of audience, short-form content distribution and revenue opportunities.

Previously, Courtney served as senior vice president and marketing strategy at digital media company Above Average, where he had oversight of programming, audience development, distribution and marketing programs.

Courtney, who will begin at Fuse July 6, will report to Fuse Media president and CEO Michael Schwimmer.

“Fuse Media is staying ahead of ... industry shifts by expanding our multiplatform content offerings to reach and engage our valuable audience, and better serve our distribution and advertising partners,” said Schwimmer in a statement. “Patrick will be a strong contributor in this on-going transformation. He brings with him deep experience in the digital media space – ranging from content-driven audience development/engagement to integrated marketing for digital ad sales and branded entertainment – that will complement the strong team in place.”

Multicultural-themed programming is riding a wave of ratings and critical success on TV, but that rising tide isn’t lifting all boats.

From Emmy Award-winning shows like Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black and its multicultural cast, to ratings hits like Fox’s Empire, Starz’s Power and ABC’s Fresh Off the Boat and Black-ish, ethnically diverse TV content is hot. But even in such a TV climate, executives at independently owned multicultural networks said their services still struggle to gain widespread distribution.

Even with a growing base of multicultural subscribers who watch more hours of television than white viewers — along with an increase of young, multicultural millennials who are either cord-cutters or cable-nevers — distributors aren’t rushing to sign up networks that target the industry’s current and future subscribers, executives said.

“Overall, 40% of the population is multicultural, so what all that means is multicultural is now the new mainstream,” said Tonia O’Connor, chief commercial officer and president of content distribution for Univision Communications, which also handles distribution duties for four-year-old, male-targeted El Rey Network and young, Hispanic audience-targeted news service Fusion.

“It’s good business to be in this business,” O’Connor said. “Whether distributors have come to embrace it yet or not, they absolutely have to in order to continue to have any growth in the future — they can no longer ignore the multicultural consumer or opportunity.”

A HOT CATEGORY

While most television observers recognize today’s lineup of quality content from cable, broadcast and over-the-top digital services like Netflix as a new Golden Age of Television, it’s also arguably the most prolific time for multicultural programming.

This comes as the U.S. grows more diverse, and as diverse groups grow more influential determining in how and when entertainment content is delivered.

African-Americans watched more than 44 hours of live and time-shifted TV a week during fourth-quarter 2015, well above the 31-hour average for all adults, according to the recent Nielsen Total Audience Report. Hispanics nearly double all viewers in minutes spent watching video on smartphones, while Asian-Americans use multimedia devices to view television nearly a full hour more than the general public does.

Given those realities, the assumption would be that multichannel-video providers would be aggressive in launching networks aimed at the growing, highly influential multicultural audience. But network executives said some distributors have yet to recognize the value of multicultural content.

Most high-profile shows with appeal to multicultural audiences air on mainstream networks backed by major media companies, Africa Channel executive vice president of content and global operations Narendra Reddy said, adding that independently-owned multicultural channels don’t have the budget or staff to develop and market such programming. But that doesn’t mean Africa Channel’s scripted movies and reality shows originating from the continent are any less valuable or appealing to multicultural viewers, Reddy said.

He added that most favored nations language in contracts, restrictions on social-media marketing and promotion of content on the Web, and a lack of negotiating power during contract talks have hampered Africa Channel’s ability to gain distribution as an independent network.

“Even if the heads of programming for these various distributors believe that this content that we have will resonate with audiences, basically they’re forced to carry networks from the companies that have far greater leverage than we do,” Reddy said.

That doesn’t sit well with multicultural viewers who respond favorably to content targeted toward them. According to a recent Horowitz Race, Diversity and Media survey, 64% of multicultural millennials said they found television shows featuring a mainly multicultural cast appealing, compared to 44% of white viewers.

Yet beyond a few select shows, network executives say such images are rare on the current lineup of cable channels.

STILL AN UNDERSERVED AUDIENCE

“A multicultural cable subscriber today sees his or her dollar being mainstream, but the reality is when they look at what’s being offered they’re seeing that there’s just not that much there,” said Mark Walton, president of sales and marketing for One Caribbean Television. “Even though you may see an article or some conversation around all of this, from the consumer’s perspective it gets back to ‘I have 500 channels and I only have four or five that are addressing some of the interests I have.’ ”

One Caribbean Television, which offers entertainment, news and weather content from such Caribbean nations as the Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda, Jamaica and Barbados, is currently offered on RCN with the network in distribution talks with several other operators. One Caribbean targets the nearly 10 million to 20 million African-Americans who have some connection to the Caribbean, as well as mainstream viewers who travel and have interest in the region.

“The consumer is paying X dollars but is getting X minus dollars in terms of value to them,” Walton said. “In order to breach that gap and reduce churn, you have to have the offerings that that consumer wants.”

Network executives said they recognize that MVPDs are under pressure to curb programming costs and adjust programming packages to prevent younger subscribers from churning or shifting to over-the-top subscription VOD services.

“[Distributors] might not be as confident to take risks on launching multicultural-themed channels,” Miguel Santos, general manager for Asian-American targeted network Myx TV, said. “The business environment is di_ cult — they’re seeing some churn, so it’s making a lot of MVPD executives risk-averse. They don’t really see at the moment the value of multicultural channels.”

One executive who said she does recognize the value of multicultural content is Verizon Fios executive director of content strategy and acquisition Michelle Webb. She told the Horowitz Associates Cultural Insights Forum in March that the telco is looking to balance that with finding the best ways to offer the most choice to consumers.

“It’s all about managing demand and bandwidth considerations,” she said.

Aspire TV has seen some small but noteworthy movement on the distribution front, vice president of business affairs and channel operations Melissa Ingram said. The African-American-targeted network, founded by basketball hall of famer Earvin “Magic” Johnson, has seen its subscriber rolls grow to 34 million viewers since its 2012 launch; it projects it will be in 37 million homes by year-end.

“Not only is [the multicultural] audience is requesting this type of programming but … from a business standpoint, affiliates are starting to understand the importance of having diverse content,” she said. “They’ve seen the success of shows like Empire and they’ve seen a movement by subscribers demanding such content, which is forcing these large distributors to understand the importance and value of it and to get more content like that on their systems.”

As networks continue to push for linear distribution, others are exploring the Web in an eff ort to generate interest and awareness for their brands. Networks such as Myx TV, Fuse and One Caribbean Television use apps to give viewers a chance to check out video content from the networks, as well as some live programming.

BOOSTING ONLINE REACH

“If you want to reach a younger audience, you have to be available on all of the relevant devices, and you have to have content that’s available on-demand,” Fuse Media CEO Michael Schwimmer said. “Obviously, you have to be able to balance that with the network’s role within the pay TV ecosystem, but I think that it’s all doable and important. Anybody that doesn’t have a strong digital presence does so at their own risk.”

Myx TV’s Santos believes networks targeting multicultural millennials in particular may find online distribution a more attractive way of exposing the brand to key audiences. Asian-Americans, especially, tend to watch content online on various mobile devices, so anyone looking to reach that audience would fare well in the digital space, according to Santos.

Myx TV is considering launching an OTT service in the near future, although Santos would not disclose a time frame. “OTT is possibly the key to diversifying entertainment,” he said. “Given the competitive environment and the uncertainty within the industry, it would behoove us to look at all options to really get our content out.

“In the end, the power is with the viewer, and they will decide where they want to watch their content — if they want to watch it over the top we should be there, and if they want to watch it on a linear platform we should be there, too.”

As coverage of the cantankerous and unpredictable 2016 political election season draws big TV ratings for traditional cable-news networks, upstart channels targeting young millennials with political-themed content are campaigning online to reach one of the largest voting blocks in U.S. history.

Networks like Fusion, Revolt TV, Pivot and Fuse are looking to secure the votes of a politically engaged group of 18-to-34-year-olds looking for content that speaks to issues important to them — topics that aren’t always addressed by the cable news channels.

From online voter registration campaigns to millennial-focused reports from the major political party conventions to social-media initiatives on key issues such as immigration, police brutality and LGBT rights, network executives said it’s critical to provide content to millennials when and where they want it.

“We have seen from our audience that they are an active, socially relevant group, and they care about issues that can affect not only them but society at large, from Black Lives Matter to [the drinking-water crisis in] Flint to immigration issues and LGBT issues — this audience is vocal and they care about these issues,” Revolt TV CEO Keith Clinkscales said. “We wanted to make sure that we were uniquely positioned to impact the political conversation, and give the young people who consume our media an opportunity to amplify their voices.”

CROSSING PLATFORMS

To accomplish that, networks are taking a multiplatform approach to disseminating political news to an audience that watches less TV and spends more time online, executives said.

Millennials aged 18-34 may watch less live TV than any other demographic group, but they’re the most likely to use a connected-TV device such as Apple TV or Roku, according to a new Nielsen Total Audience Report for fourth-quarter 2015.

That age group also spent more than 11 hours per week using smartphones to access the Web and apps during fourth-quarter 2015, up from eight hours during the same period in 2014, according to Nielsen.

Millennials have followed the 2016 presidential campaign closely because the candidates have been so active on social media, David Quinn, senior brand lead for digital marketing firm Beamly, said.

“All the candidates are active on Twitter and using video on YouTube and have remained active in the political conversation with millennials,” Quinn said.

That leaves an opening for millennial-targeted networks to provide political content to an already engaged audience.

For Fuse, that means teaming with Hispanic-targeted, non-profit political organization Voto Latino to create a multiplatform initiative dubbed “Crash the Parties,” Fuse Media CEO Michael Schwimmer said. Millennial Latinos can vie for a chance to become Fuse reporters at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland and the Democratic convention in Philadelphia.

Would-be reporters can submit a video to Fuse.tv for network viewers to vote on. Two winners will be chosen to represent the network at the conventions, providing frequent video updates both online and on he linear channel.

The network (then called Sí TV) ran a similar campaign with Voto Latino in 2008. “With the social media tools that are available in 2016 that were not available in 2008, it’s going to be even easier and more effective in getting out the word and getting people engaged in the process,” Schwimmer said.

Revolt’s “Revolt 2 Vote” initiative will include a weekly digital series on the revolt.tv website, featuring interviews with political leaders and insights from millennial thought leaders and influencers, Clinkscales said.

The music channel’s primarily digital political content will be headed by millennial journalist Amrit Singh as well as a “kitchen cabinet” of young political voices who will discuss the campaign on Revolt.tv and social-media outlets such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

“The main thing is we have digital coverage because that’s where millennials are aggregating political content, and then we’ll do some linear programming as well,” he said.

As some 93 million millennials will be of voting age going into this year’s election, Clinkscales said it’s imperative to provide them information to make informed decisions.

“More than 30 million young people stayed home in 2012,” he said. “[Turnout] was very low — one of the lowest numbers on record. The frustration that young people have with the American political system is an opportunity to make sure we provide them with the engagement they need.”

The emerging networks are also hoping to reach millennial viewers in a way the bigger, more mainstream news networks haven’t so far. While both Fox News Channel and CNN ranked among the top 10 most-watched cable networks among total viewers during the first quarter 2016 among total viewers, neither is among the top 15 networks within the 18-49 demo, according to Nielsen.

“Millennials are not turning on the TV and watching the cable news networks,” Quinn said. “The shows that are speaking to the group are from external video Web shows.”

“They have their hands full,” Clinkscales said. “We have the luxury of going after one of America’s largest generations ever — 93 million strong and 40% from communities of color. This is the time to understand what’s going on with this 18-to-34-year-old audience.”

GOING TO THE MOVIES

Pivot will take a different tack to inform millennials about the political process, relying on politically-themed movies throughout the summer to keep politics on the minds of its younger viewers, Pivot general manager Kent Rees said.

The network will feature such films as All the President’s Men, Wag the Dog and The Fog of War.

“We’re more contextualizing the political process through these films that we’ve identified,” Rees said. “Millennials crave context and they crave it in all different directions, and having them sit down and watch a fi lm that comments on the process in general as well as documentaries like Caucus that touch on how the process works.”

The network will feature around the #justvote public-awareness campaign, which encourages young people to register and vote. Rees said there often isn’t a lot of information in the marketplace as to how to vote, so the eff ort will explain the process to help get millennials to the voting booth.

“Their involvement is clear, and it’s a great way to galvanize them,” Rees said. “It’s the largest generation in American history, and they’ve only just begun to understand their power and the opportunities to affect change in the country at large.”