Michael Schwimmer joins Univision

Univision Communications, Inc. announced that Michael Schwimmer is joining the company as President, Global Platform Strategy and Revenue. The newly created executive position complements Univision’s redesigned corporate leadership structure ahead of the close of Univision’s previously announced combination with Televisa.

Adding to the top-level talent brought in for the company’s transformation and reporting directly to CEO Wade Davis, Schwimmer will centralize distribution of the company’s platform, content offerings and sales opportunities that drive revenue growth. In this capacity Schwimmer will be tasked with enabling Univision’s more than 300,000 hours of existing Spanish-language content to reach audiences worldwide. He will also work closely with Pierluigi Gazzolo, President and Chief Transformation Officer, on global app distribution for the company’s unified two-tiered streaming service, scheduled to launch in early 2022.

“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. “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.”

Schwimmer said, “Univision is an iconic brand that embodies its mission of entertaining, informing and empowering Spanish-speaking audiences across all facets of its business. 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.”

Prior to joining Univision, Schwimmer 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, as well as oversaw the advertising sales business for the DISH enterprise. Prior to this role, he was 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. Michael also held the role of President and CEO of Fuse Media, leading the 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.