Cable industry vet James Ackerman has been appointed executive chairman of Broadway Systems, a firm that provides advertisement management software to cable networks.
In Broadway, he's joining a company that provides integrated traffic, billing and advertising proposal management, deal management, and general stewardship of those deals. Boiled down further, Broadway’s system manages that deal flow and reports how it is tracking against original upfront advertising agreements. Competitors include WideOrbit and Invision, among others. According to Broadway, it manages more than $3 billion in ad revenues and counts Fox News, Scripps Networks, CBS Sports Network and the MLB Network among its historic clients.
Ackerman, most recently was president and CEO of the Documentary Channel (sold to Participant Media in late 2012 and converted into the new network Pivot) and served as CEO of OpenTV (now part of Nagra) from April 2001 and 2004, said he’s coming on board to give guidance on the pay TV industry and to help set the company’s direction and product roadmap, which invariably will involve a heavier focus on over-the-top video.
“I have experience with operating a technology company and running a network,” said Ackerman, who got to know Broadway because the vendor worked with Documentary Channel when Ackerman was still running the programmer. “Understanding that industry will help to set the direction of Broadway.”
He believes Broadway’s integrated approach will help to set it apart as it evolves its roadmap and tacks on more support for OTT. “It’s one code base, one integrated platform.”
Before his tenure at OpenTV, Ackerman was with BSkyB, where he was CEO of British Interactive Broadcasting and was managing director of Sky Ventures. He founded Spinnaker Media in 2005, a company that holds or has held stakes in Documentary Channel, Propeller Consulting, Hear It First and Famplosion.
