On the heels of its deal for Time Warner, AT&T apparently is ready to dip into the M&A content pool again.

AT&T is nearing a deal to acquire all of Otter Media, the OTT video joint venture formed with The Chernin Group in 2014, Recode reported.

Recode expects the deal to close this summer, offering estimates that Otter Media could be valued at more than $1 billion (AT&T and The Chernin Group originally earmarked about $500 million for the J.V.).

It would also follows earlier reports that the sides were trying to formulate an agreement, and come after the recent the appointment of AT&T and DirecTV exec Tony Goncalves as CEO of Otter Media. Recode said the expectation is that Goncalves would end up reporting to John Stankey, who is now CEO of what’s now known as WarnerMedia.

RELATED: Goncalves Named CEO of Otter Media

If such a deal comes to fruition, AT&T would own a portfolio that includes Ellation, Fullscreen Media, Crunchyroll, VRV, Crunchyroll, and VRV, which runs an SVOD aggregation and bundling service.

AT&T is also in discussions to acquire digital ad-tech company AppNexus for about $1.6 billion, and take on a stronger position in that area against companies such as Verizon and Google, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Otter Media, the OTT J.V. of AT&T and The Chernin Group, said new CEO Tony Goncalves has appointed four to his executive team – Andy Forssell as chief operating officer; Sean Kisker as chief strategy officer; Jennifer Cho as chief financial officer; and Alan Beard as chief brand officer.

The appointments come about a week after Goncalves, the former CEO of digital brands at AT&T, was named CEO of Otter Media.

RELATED: Tony Goncalves Named CEO of Otter Media 

Forssell joins the exec team of Fullscreen, where he served as COO of the Otter Media-owned OTT service. Prior to that he was CEO of Showyou, a video aggregation service, and led Hulu’s content business, including its move into original programming. He had also served as interim CEO of Hulu in 2013.

Kisker has been serving as a personal adviser to founders and CEOs of leading early-stage technology and entertainment ventures, and, from 2003 to 2016, was an exec at Lionsgate Entertainment, most recently as chief strategy officer.

Cho joins Otter Media following senior exec roles at AT&T, DirecTV and Gap Inc. She most recently was CFO of AT&T Entertainment Group’s Technology & Operations division.

Beard co-founded social media creative agency McBeard, which was acquired by Fullscreen in May 2015. Beard has been serving as chief marketing officer at Fullscreen.

"Andy, Sean, Jennifer, and Alan are skilled executives with great instincts," Goncalves said in a statement. “They each bring a strong point of view, knowledge and vast experience. This exceptional team will lay a solid foundation for us to continue to build and evolve Otter’s leadership in the digital media space."

Tony Goncalves has been named CEO of Otter Media, the OTT joint venture of The Chernin Group and AT&T formed in 2014.

RELATED: AT&T, Chernin Group To Build OTT Video Services

Goncalves most recently was CEO, Digital Brands for AT&T, overseeing the Otter Media relationship with The Chernin Group, and leading the strategy for DirecTV Now, the OTT TV service that AT&T launched in November 2016. Prior to that, Goncalves served in number of exec roles at DirecTV, which merged with AT&T in July 2015.

RELATED: AT&T Adds 368,000 DirecTV Now Subs in Q4

Talks about having Goncalves join Otter Media full-time started about six months ago, according to a statement from Peter Chernin, chairman of Otter Media and CEO of The Chernin Group, which is Otter Media’s majority owner.

Sarah Harden had been serving as president at Otter Media before being named CEO of Hello Sunshine, Reese Witherspoon’s production company, full-time last month. The last person to serve as CEO at Otter Media was Virasb Vahidi, who left in 2015.

Hello Sunshine is also part of Otter Media’s portfolio. Others in that portfolio include Ellation, Fullscreen, Rooster Teeth, Crunchyroll, VRV, and Gunpowder Sky. Otter Media estimated that brands in its portfolio engages with more than 90 million unique viewers per month, and generated a combined 100 billion video views in 2017.

“Tony has been our partner on Otter Media for almost four years, and during that time, it was evident that he is a thoughtful, strategic executive who is hugely passionate about furthering the growth of one of the premiere digital media companies,” Chernin said, in a statement. “Over the last six months, we started discussing having Tony join Otter full-time, and we are delighted that he has agreed to assume the role of CEO. We know he will apply his formidable talents to help us take this company to the next level.”

AT&T is looking to acquire The Chernin Group’s stake in Otter Media, the OTT video focused joint venture that they introduced in April 2014, according to Digiday, citing multiple unnamed sources familiar with the plan.

RELATED: AT&T, Chernin Group To Build OTT Video Services

It’s not exactly a new rumor. The New York Post reported in July that AT&T was in talks with Peter Chernin of The Chernin Group about acquiring the rest of Otter Media, at the time said to be part of a bigger effort for AT&T to “clean up a host of joint ventures” as it continued its pursuit of Time Warner Inc.  At the time, the New York Post said industry sources put the value of Otter Media at as much as $1 billion.

AT&T and The Chernin Group initially committed to invest $500 million into Otter Media. Examples of Otter Media holdings and assets include Fullscreen, which recently announced plans to shut down its SVOD service in January, Crunchyroll, the anime-focused SVOD service, and Creativebug.

Ellation, the company behind the VRV SVOD aggregation service, is a portfolio company of Otter Media’s. RoosterTeeth is a subsidiary of Fullscreen Media.

RELATED: VRV Opens New Chapter on Subscription VOD

Otter Media declined to comment on the report. AT&T has been asked for comment, but has already declined comment to Digiday.

Amazon Channels, the SVOD aggregation service for Amazon Prime members, has begun to sell subscriptions to Fullscreen for $5.99 per month.

RELATED: Amazon Boosts Subscription ‘Channel’ Count Near Century Mark

Fullscreen, an OTT service majority owned by Otter Media (the joint venture of AT&T and The Chernin Group), is also sold as a stand-alone for $5.99 per month, supporting platforms such as iOS and Android mobile devices, Apple TV, and Chromecast adapters.

RELATED: Fullscreen Joins Apple TV Mix

Amazon Channels will give the subscription OTT service an additional outlet for its mix of shows, series and/or exclusives that includ Shane & Friends, Not Too Deep with Grace Helbig, Psychobabble  with Tyler Oakley & Korey Kuhl,Magic Funhouse, The Deleted, as well as upcoming originals that include Unzipped with Lizzie Velasquez.

RELATED: SVOD Surge (subscription required)

Extending the service to Amazon Channels also makes Fullscreen compatible with more than 650 devices as well as IMDb “X-Ray” integration.

Fullscreen’s commercial-free subscription service debuted internationally in April 2016.

Otter Media, the OTT-focused joint venture of The Chernin Group and AT&T formed in 2014, said it has hired Billy Parks to the newly-created role of EVP of creative and content strategy.

In that role, he’ll work with companies in Otter Media’s portfolio to develop audience-driven content for multiple formats and channels. He’ll also continue to oversee creative and production for AT&T Hello Lab, a collaboration between AT&T and Fullscreen Media’s Strategic Content Group that “connects digital influencers to their communities.”

Parks joins Otter Media from Fullscreen Media, the digital content provider that is majority-owned by Otter, and previously headed digital production at The Chernin Group.

RELATED: Otter Media Nabs Majority Stake In Fullscreen

Parks reports to Sarah Harden, president of Otter Media.

“Billy has been a longtime, valued co-collaborator through Fullscreen and The Chernin Group, where he consistently realized new potential and accelerated the evolution of digital content,” Harden said in statement.  “His work at Fullscreen on programming such as Hello Lab, @SummerBreak and SnapperHero for AT&T has centered on delivering future-focused content models that engage audiences across existing and emerging platforms. We look forward to taking our relationship with him to the next level as we use content across all formats to grow the influence and reach of Otter’s direct to consumer brands.”

Parks has also served as chief content officer at Judy McGrath’s Astronauts Wanted, and began his career producing TV commercials for brands such as Honda, P&G, NFL, and Microsoft, and music videos with artists including Jay Z, Rihanna, Beyoncé, Kanye West, Miley Cyrus, and Prince.

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BOSTON – AT&T Entertainment Group CEO John Stankey said recent moves to acquire digital content and technology are part of an overall plan to meld long-form, short-form, mobile and premium content into a new category, a so-called digital bundle that could help draw consumers who have been reluctant to participate in pay TV into the fold.

At Tuesday’s INTX Show General Session, Stankey pointed to AT&T’s joint venture with former 21st Century Fox chief Peter Chernin – Otter Media – and other moves including its purchase of Quickplay, are all part of that overall plan.

The Quickplay deal, he said, fulfills a desire the company has had almost for the dozen years it has been in the TV business – to won he full stack of technology behind its services. Quickplay, a multi-screen video firm for managed and over-the-top video that currently supports AT&T U-Verse’s TV Everywhere service, is a move in that direction.

“[Now] we own the entire technology stack to deliver to end users,” Stankey said. “Most people are going to play in the full stack approach,” Stankey said, adding he feels good about what the moves does for the company.

Related:Behind AT&T’s Cross-Platform Video Moves: Q&A With Tony Goncalves [subscription required]

Stankey said that in the next two or three years, he envisions a world where AT&T has fused its products in the mobile, premium content with other short-form and long-form programming from Otter and other sources, creating a new category where the two are blended together.

“If we’re successful, it’s also an opportunity to start pulling folks who haven’t moved into; subscriber services into subscriber services,” Stankey said. “I don’t know what precisely that is going to be, but mobile allows you to try a lot of different things.”

Stankey stopped short of calling AT&T’s moves an attempt to create a gateway product for younger consumers, and added that some consumers will never be coaxed into the pay TV model.

“I definitely believe we need to have a set of training wheels,” Stankey said. “And I do believe that some will never come into the ecosystem. But we’re starting to see where different sized bundles allow you to address different parts of the market.”

He added that building the right architecture, providing connectivity and helping consumers move the “tonnage” of bits for entertainment or what have you while maintaining a proper return on investment, “that’s OK as a business too.”

Stankey also joined the chorus of pay TV operators in opposition to recent proposals by the Federal Communications Commission to unlock set-top boxes and xx, addingthat the current environment that encourages investment in infrastructure “seems to be a winning  combination.”

Otter Media, the OTT joint venture of The Chernin Group  and AT&T formed in 2014, announced Tuesday that Sarah Harden has been promoted to president.

In that role, Harden, who previously served as EVP of strategy and investments at Otter Media, will drive strategy and operational activities for Otter Media.

“Sarah has been integral to Otter Media’s rapid development and success since formation,” Jesse Jacobs, president of TCG, said in a statement. “She has successfully led a wide range of activities spanning M&A, operations, strategy and day-to-day execution. She has been a wonderful and effective partner, and I look forward to continuing our work to further develop and grow all of Otter’s OTT businesses.”

"Helping build and develop Otter Media since its inception has been an extremely rewarding experience and has laid a solid foundation for me to manage the venture in its next stage of growth,” Harden added. “I am thrilled to continue collaborating with my colleagues at The Chernin Group and AT&T, and at our portfolio companies Fullscreen and Ellation, to achieve our mutual, ambitious goals.”

Harden joined TCG as EVP  September 2013, where she played key roles in the company’s majority stake acquisition of Crunchyroll,, and Otter Media’s acquisition of a controlling stake in Fullscreen.  Harden currently sits on the boards at Crunchyroll and Fullscreen.

Prior to joining TCG, Harden was group director, partnerships and development, Asia, at News Corp., and, before that, was SVP, business development for Fox Networks Group in Los Angeles. She began her career as a senior associate with The Boston Consulting Group in Melbourne, Australia, and is a graduate of University of Melbourne (Bachelor of Arts, Hons) and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School where she graduated as a Baker Scholar. 

The Chernin Group said it has appointed former Yahoo exec Mike Kerns to president of digital, where he will support TCG’s digital-focused investments and portfolio strategy and be tasked with heading up the group’s expansion into Northern California, which include plans for a new office in San Francisco.

Kerns, who will work closely with TCG CEO and chairman Peter Chernin and TCG president Jesse Jacobs, will also join the board of Otter Media, the online video joint venture formed by The Chernin Group and AT&T in April 2014 that has majority stakes in Fullscreen and Crunchyroll, and acquired Creativebug, a source for online video arts and crafts instruction. In addition to its stake in Otter Media, TCG's assets also include Chernin Entertainment, a majority stake in Hong Kong-based CA Media, along with strategic investments in Pandora, SoundCloud, Flipboard, Medium, Scopely, Doppler Labs and MiTu. 

Kerns joins TCG from Yahoo where he most recently served as senior vice president of product: homepage and verticals. Prior to that, he co-founded and served as CEO of Citizen Sports, a maker of social and sports-related apps that was acquired by Yahoo acquisition in 2010. Kerns has also served as chief of staff at Steinberg & Moorad Sports Management, and began his career as an associate at Angel Investors, L.P.

“We have meaningfully accelerated TCG’s digital presence and sphere of investment activities over the past few years,” Chernin said, in a statement. “Mike will be a phenomenal addition to the team and will help us with our existing portfolio of businesses, as well as in rapidly expanding our investment endeavors. He has a proven, multi-disciplined track record which has become increasingly important to our company, current holdings and future growth.” 

Fullscreen, the over-the-top multichannel service tailored for young consumers, last week hired Michael Goldfine to the post of chief content officer.

Goldfine, who joins Fullscreen from RockStream Studios, a company he founded in 2012 and is credited with creating the feature film Camp Takota, will focus on overseeing the development and production of premium scripted and unscripted content for Fullscreen. Prior to founding RSS, Goldfine launched AEG Digital Media, and also produced and directed shows for Warner Bros. Television, Fox and Fremantle.

"Michael brings years of production experience, a contagious entrepreneurial spirit and a unique understanding of digital talent to Fullscreen," said George Strompolos, Fullscreen's founder and CEO. "We are thrilled to join forces with someone as passionate about the future of entertainment as we are."

“There's a huge opportunity ahead,” Goldfine added. “And with Fullscreen’s resources, talented team and vast network, it's a perfect place to continue to change the way content is made and distributed.”

In September, Otter Media, the online joint venture of The Chernin Group and AT&T, agreed to acquire a majority stake in Fullscreen.

Otter Media, the online video joint venture of The Chernin Group and AT&T formed in April, has announced who will take the helm of the company’s day-to-day operations – Virasb Vahidi is now CEO of Otter Media, and Tom Pickett is CEO of a new Otter Media-controlled unit focused on building targeted VOD channels.

Vahidi, (pictured), formerly served as COO of American Airlines and was previously the SVP, corporate strategy and planning at AT&T, will lead Otter Media’s general operations and overall strategy, along with TCG and AT&T.

As CEO of the new unit of Otter Media, Pickett, an exec late of Google and YouTube, will focus on building advertising and subscription-based targeted video-on-demand channels, responsibilities that will include the J.V.’s current online video assets Crunchyroll and Creativebug. Pickett most recently served as vice president, YouTube Content.

Otter Media recently agreed to snap up a majority stake in Fullscreen, the popular YouTube networkt ailored for young consumers. Under that deal, Fullscreen CEO and founder George Strompolos will continue as CEO and retain a “material ownership stake” in Fullscreen.

“Virasb and Tom are joining Otter’s executive team during a time of tremendous opportunity in the OTT space. Their consumer-focused experience and superior leadership abilities are the perfect qualities to help steer our efforts, grow our existing businesses and expand the Otter portfolio,” said Jesse Jacobs, president of The Chernin Group, the majority investor of Otter, in a statement.

AT&T and The Chernin Group committed to invest $500 million in the OTT venture when they announced it in April. Otter Media made its first acquisition in July, shelling out $10 million for Creativebug Inc., a source for online video arts and crafts instruction. Otter Media also has a majority stake in Crunchyroll, an ad-supported video platform for Japanese anime and Korean content.

The Otter Media board of directors includes Peter Chernin and Jesse Jacobs of The Chernin Group, John Stankey and David Christopher of AT&T, and Virasb Vahidi.