NBCU names Kliavkoff its first ‘Chief Digital Officer’

Steve Safran August 1st, 2006

NBC Universal continues its push to add more executive power to its digital strategy, naming George Kliavkoff its first chief digital officer. Kliavkoff comes from running Major League Baseball’s new media initiatives, and will run internet and wireless efforts at NBCU, “as well as digital innovation and product development, and Web site and partner relationships,” according to Television Week. Kliavkoff’s position on digital media technologies, however, will be worth watching. In June, Engadget reported, Kliavkoff took on the marketing VP of Slingbox, saying Slingbox customers were in violation of their user agreements by watching their ballgames away from home. The future of media consumption is disconnected from the TV, is not dictated by location, and is determined by the consumer. We certainly encourage Mr. Kliavkoff to reconsider his position on user control of video.