Advanced advertising vendor BlackArrow announced this morning that cable industry veteran Michael Pohl has joined the company’s board of directors.
Pohl currently serves on Ascent Media’s board of directors and is chairman of BigBand Networks’ board. He’s also on MSO-backed Canoe Ventures’ advisory board.
Two years ago, Pohl was named CEO of Jinni, which is a search and recommendation service for video content, but he currently serves in an advisory role with that company.
Pohl’s experience with advanced advertising and other next-generation technologies made him an attractive fit for BlackArrow.
“Michael Pohl is highly respected in the cable community for his ability to understand and commercialize new technologies that can unlock additional revenue opportunities for the industry,” said Dean Denhart, CEO of BlackArrow. “His guidance and insights are invaluable in the creation of business and technology solutions that enable service providers and programmers to create a profitable advertising business across new TV platforms.”
Pohl was a 2008 recipient of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association Vanguard Award for Associates & Affiliates and is a member of the Cable TV Pioneers.
Pohl’s cable career includes positions as president of the Global Strategies Group at C-Cor, as chief executive officer at nCube Corp., and as interim vice president and general manager of the on-demand systems division at Arris following that company’s acquisition of C-Cor.
“With the dramatic consumer trend toward on-demand and time-shifted viewing, dynamic addressable advertising holds tremendous promise as a source of new revenue for our industry,” said Pohl. “BlackArrow has taken a true leadership position in developing technical solutions and partnering with its operator and programmer clients to build advanced advertising business models.”
Earlier this month, BlackArrow announced it was one of the founding participants in a new coalition that was formed to jumpstart advertising in VOD.