NimbleTV, a startup promising to sling pay-TV content to users anywhere across the Internet, has hired media and cable industry executive Lou Borrelli Jr. as its chief marketing officer.
Borrelli will oversee all aspects of NimbleTV's marketing, including communications, strategy and business development, reporting to CEO Anand Subramanian. Borrelli became an investor in and advisor to NimbleTV. The startup's other backers are Tribune Co., Greycroft Partners and Tribeca Venture Partners.
New York-based NimbleTV is proposing to sign up for cable or satellite TV service on behalf of consumers, setting up set-top farms in a given market. Users can then access live TV or DVR recordings over the Internet from those boxes. The company last month launched a private beta test of its service and expects to launch it commercially this summer.
Borrelli most recently was president and CEO of NEP Broadcasting, a provider of outsourced teleproduction services, and prior to that was senior vice president of broadband for AOL. He was a founding partner and chief operating officer of Marcus Cable, which grew from 15,000 customers in 1989 to 1.3 million in 1998 when the company was sold to investor Paul Allen and others.
"With his deep industry experience and knowledge, Lou has been a valued advisor to NimbleTV as the company has gone from idea to beta testing, and I'm thrilled he's joining the company as its chief marketing officer," Subramanian said in a statement. "Lou has a keen understanding of the TV industry -- past, present and future -- and will play a pivotal role in helping NimbleTV execute its vision to offer customers real choice, and easier and better access to their subscription TV."
Borrelli added, "This is a time of incredible innovation for the television industry and is fast emerging as a great time to be a TV customer. NimbleTV is about making 'TV Everywhere' more than just a slogan, and I'm looking forward to joining the team in order to help make that vision a reality."
Borrelli began his cable career in 1978 with UA-Columbia Cablevision. His cable industry recognitions include two CTAM TAMI awards (in 1996 and 2000) and Cablevision Magazine's "Cable Operator of the Year" in 1998. He was named a member of the Cable Center's Cable Pioneers in 2002.
