Dish TV’s Michael Schwimmer joins Univision as global platform strategy president

US Hispanic media company Univision Communications has hired former Dish TV and Fuse Media executive Michael Schwimmer as president, global platform strategy and revenue ahead of its merger with Televisa.

Michael Schwimmer

The Miami-headquartered company said Schwimmer will be tasked with leading global distribution for the combined Televisa-Univision library and centralising the distribution of the new entity’s content offerings. His responsibilities will also involve helping to bring Univision’s existing catalogue of 300,000 hours of Spanish-language content to global audiences.

In addition, veteran exec Schwimmer has been hired to help oversee the launch of its upcoming streaming platform, which is scheduled to debut in the US and Latin America in early 2022. He will work with Pierluigi Gazzolo, president and chief transformation officer, on global app distribution for the two-tiered streaming service, which will feature both AVoD and SVoD options.

Univision said the appointment complements its new corporate leadership structure, which was implemented last summer ahead of its combination with Televisa.

At the time, several of its key execs were promoted to new roles, including Jessica Rodriguez, who was elevated to chief brand and impact officer, and Ignacio Meyer, who was upped to executive VP for music and non-scripted entertainment. Leonor Sotillo also joined Univision from NBC-owned Telemundo as senior VP of scripted strategy.

Schwimmer comes to Univision after serving in the dual role of group president at Sling TV and executive VP of Dish Media. Before that he was CEO at Fuse Media and its predecessors, Sí TV and nuvoTV.

“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,” said Univision CEO Wade Davis in a statement.

In April 2021, Univision announced plans to acquire the content and media assets of Televisa for around US$4.8bn. The deal comprises US$3bn in cash, US$1.5bn in Univision equity and US$300m from other sources. The transaction has not yet closed but is expected to do so shortly.