Univision appoints Michael Schwimmer to new executive role

Univision Communications, Inc. has welcomed Michael Schwimmer to the company as President, Global Platform Strategy and Revenue. The appointment forms part of restructuring efforts for the company's leadership in preparation for its inegration with Televisa. “Michael will complement our team by leading global distribution for the combined library of Televisa and Univision content, including all subscription and content licensing activities, and will oversee our efforts to ensure that thousands of hours of our Spanish-language content reaches valued audiences worldwide,” said Univision CEO Wade Davis.

Schwimmer's primary focus under his new role is to centralize the company's platform distriubtion, content offerings and sales opportunities, which should result in an acceleration of revenue. He will also be tasked with enabling  more than 300,000 hours of existing Spanish-language content to reach audiences worldwide. Much of his responsbilities will be executed alongside Pierluigi Gazzolo, President and Chief Transformation Officer,  who will also contribute to the global app distribution for the company’s unified two-tiered streaming service, scheduled to launch in early 2022. "His extensive experience leading the strategy for multicultural and AVOD offerings and his proven track record navigating corporate transformations make him the ideal addition to our team, and his expertise and passion for increasing Spanish-language representation in the media speaks to our company’s purpose," Davis continued.

Prior to joinin Univision, the executive served as Group President of Sling TV and Executive Vice President of DISH Media, where he managed all aspects of the Sling TV business, including strategy and performance, and oversaw the advertising sales business for the DISH enterprise. He also worked as Executive Vice President of International, Business Development and Strategy at Sling TV, responsible for the company’s DISH TV and Sling TV multicultural and AVOD offerings.

In addition to the previously mentioned roles, he also joined a cross-platform entertainment media brand for multicultural youth that included Fuse and FM (Fuse Music) linear channels, video-on-demand (VOD) and over-the-top (OTT) apps. Earlier, he led Programming, Marketing and Media Sales for DISH Network, playing a key role in launching DISH’s international programming business as well as the DISH Latino brand and services. Schwimmer sits on the Board of the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) and is a member of the NAACP Entertainment Industry Board of Advisors.

“Univision is an iconic brand that embodies its mission of entertaining, informing and empowering Spanish-speaking audiences across all facets of its business," Schwimmer said. "Supporting the global Spanish speaking community has been a lifelong personal passion of mine, so I am pleased to be part of Wade's compelling vision to bring high quality Spanish language content to this still underserved audience in an advanced, consumer friendly streaming format. I look forward to leveraging my experience and hitting the ground running with my new colleagues in streaming as we build on Univision’s content and create a truly unmatched global offering.”