NBC Co-Chairman Teams with Web Firm IAC to Launch Entertainment Studio of the Future

As the television industry continually integrates into the web, a big development was made Monday morning as NBC Co-Chairman Ben Silverman announced his partnership with leading internet company IAC.

The new business aims to merge digital media with traditional media in an effort to unite producers, creators, advertisers and distributors to bring the viewer a streamlined content consumption experience.

Silverman has brought you such shows as "The Office," "Ugly Betty," and "The Biggest Loser," while IAC is the company behind such websites as evite.com, dictionary.com, match.com and collegehumor.com.

The press released issued by IAC read:

"IAC and media entrepreneur Ben Silverman today announced that they are forming a new company to capitalize on the ever-evolving world of multimedia production and distribution, leveraging unique marketing expertise. The company, which will be headed by Ben Silverman, will unite producers, creators, advertisers and distributors under one roof and produce all forms of content for distribution across a variety of platforms around the world.

This will be the industry’s first global platform that connects advertisers, distributors and content creators early on in the development process, enabling advertisers to be a partner in campaigns and content creation.

“This new venture will take full advantage of all areas of Ben Silverman’s extensive media expertise – as an agent, producer and advertising innovator – to create a truly integrated and truly interactive new media production entity, a next generation enterprise that bridges the gap between traditional television and the internet,” said Barry Diller, IAC Chairman & CEO.

Already a pioneer in pushing the boundaries of the media industry, as evidenced most recently by Silverman’s work as Co-Chairman of NBC Entertainment - bringing advertisers into the process further upstream resulting in integrated campaigns and better content - this venture will leverage Silverman’s unique expertise and break the current silos of the media industry to create a broad-based, 360-degree, multi-creative company. The new company will aim to go further than the industry has gone before, by bringing marketing and advertising expertise in-house to help advertisers sponsor, support and be involved with the content creation process from the beginning.

“Media is being consumed across an increasing number of platforms, including TV, the internet, mobile, and DVR.  The next generation of media will be defined by the players who can capitalize on those trends and deliver integrated, compelling content across all platforms,” said Silverman. “Uniting advertisers and content creators will fundamentally improve quality and enable a fluid production and distribution model.”

NBC Universal will continue to have a relationship with Mr. Silverman via the new venture through platform partnerships and a potential investment in the enterprise. 

IAC will provide initial capital to the venture, though the parties intend to ultimately structure the venture in a way that its results will not be consolidated with the financial results of IAC, whether through the participation of new investors or otherwise. Additional terms of the venture are not being disclosed."