Ben Weinberger, a co-founder and the former CEO of Digitalsmiths, has been named senior vice president and chief product officer of Sling TV, Dish Network’s new OTT TV service for cord-cutters that launched nationwide on February 9.
Weinberger reports to Sling TV CEO Roger Lynch and, in the new role, will oversee Sling TV’s product development and product management.
Weinberger’s move to Sling TV comes after TiVo acquired Digitalsmiths, a maker of video discovery and recommendations services, last year for about $135 million. Fellow Digitalsmiths co-founder Matt Berry is currently COO of the TiVo-owned unit.
Sling TV noted that Weinberger and Lynch previously worked together when the Sling TV CEO served on the board of Digitalsmiths. Dish is also one of Digitalsmiths’s customers, but it has not announced any third-party video recommendation partners for the Sling TV service.
“Since Sling TV’s arrival four months ago, we have added more than 40 domestic channels and thousands of hours of on-demand titles,” Lynch said in a statement. “This influx of programming makes it increasingly important that our content discovery process connects consumers quickly and seamlessly to the sports, shows and movies they love. Ben’s background makes him the ideal fit to lead our effort in creating a world class next-generation TV experience.”
“In joining Sling TV, I’ve gained the opportunity to lead a talented team whose entrepreneurial spirit will continue to redefine television,” Weinberger, who also serves on the board or advisory boards of Librestream, MediaShift, T3Media, and Southern Illinois University Alumni Association and Council for Entrepreneurial Development. “Sling TV is the future of television, and we are rapidly growing an organization that will shape how consumers view video entertainment for generations to come.”
Weinberger graduated with honors from Southern Illinois University.
