Ira Bahr, the former Dish Network exec who oversaw the product planning and marketing for the satellite TV giant’s “Hopper” whole-home HD-DVR, has been hired as the chief marketing officer of DVR pioneer TiVo.
Bahr, who assumes the CMO role immediately, now heads up TiVo’s global marketing efforts and reports to TiVo CEO Tom Rogers. He will be based at TiVo’s San Jose corporate headquarters.
Bahr joins TiVo as the company continues to generate subscriber gains with MSO partners but has struggled to grow its TiVo-owned customer base. He also comes on board roughly seven months after TiVo launched its "Roamio”-branded retail product line.
Bahr most recently served as chief marketing officer for Inspirato, a luxury destination club, and previously headed up strategic marketing for Siruis Satellite Radio.
But his most recent contributions were at Dish, where he headed up customer acquisition, customer loyalty, customer technology, corporate communications and Latino marketing activities. In addition to the Hopper, Bahr also helped to spearhead the rollout of Dish’s first mobile apps on the iOS and Android platforms.
"Ira brings with him tremendous insight and deep strategic experience from his work with some of the largest media, entertainment and consumer brands in the world," said Rogers, in a statement. "His successful track-record underscores a unique ability to communicate and market sometimes complex messages to consumers and he will play an important role as we continue to deliver the best TV experience to viewers around the world. We are extremely pleased to have Ira on board."
"TiVo is one of the most famous trademarks in America and its products are some of the most loved consumer electronics ever developed. There is a clear opportunity for TiVo to help shape the future of video consumption and I am elated to be a part of it," added Bahr, who earned a B.A. from Columbia University in New York City.
