Eric Black has been named CTO/General Manager Media at Edgio
Edgio, a provider of edge-enabled software solutions that ensures the integrated and secure enjoyment of digital products and services, announced the appointment of Eric Black (pictured) as CTO/GM of its Media division. With more than 20 years of experience focused on innovating the digital video and live event streaming industry with NBC Universal, Black joins Edgio to further its growth in delivering the highest quality, seamless video, live and on-demand experiences to devices around the world.
Prior to joining Edgio, Black led NBC Universal’s media technology strategy at a number of digital properties during pivotal moments in the evolution of live streaming. He managed the first live streaming of a Super Bowl in 2010, broadcast six Olympic Games (including the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, at the time the largest digital event in history), the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and several presidential debates. He also led the team that launched NBC Universal’s Peacock in 2020. The systems Black implemented focused on both high concurrent traffic and reach, and now deliver more than 20,000 events a year, translating into billions of minutes of usage.
His enormous contribution to the success of live streaming of events has been recognized with nine Emmys. He is also a two-time winner of the IOC Gold Ring for Best Olympic Digital Service for the 2016 Summer Olympics and the 2018 Winter Olympics, and he received the Edward R. Murrow Award for reporting on 9/11 in 2004. In addition, he was honored with the 2013-2014 Emmy Award for the most cutting-edge deployment of pay TV technology and video engineering that can be enjoyed on consumer-owned devices through an IP connection.
“The nomination of such an esteemed industry leader as Eric Black underscores Edgio’s strong position,” said Bob Lyons, CEO of Edgio. “We are extremely proud of our accomplishments in creating digital video solutions that enable successful business strategies for leading media and technology companies. Eric’s experience at the largest live events is unparalleled and he is the perfect choice at this time, where we are all about to enter the next phase of large-scale streaming.”
At Edgio, Black will be responsible for managing and growing the Media Platform, which includes Edgio Delivery, its global CDN network, and Uplynk, its streaming platform. Uplynk reduces the complexity of live event distribution, broadcast/OTT and free ad-supported TV (FAST) syndication and manages operations with minimal resources, enabling customers to reach more viewers. Its advanced advertising solutions include server-side ad insertion (SSAI) and performance monitoring to help clients refine their revenue strategies. With a secure global network designed for specific media needs, Uplynk ensures the best viewing experiences wherever audiences are in the world.
Edgio’s media solutions operate in a field in which Black has extensive experience, which enabled him to jump right in and further propel the company’s growth. Edgio has managed hundreds of thousands of live events, including the world’s largest sporting events, such as the FIFA World Cup and the Super Bowl. Its Uplynk solution generated 2.4 billion event views, 3.3 billion hours of video streaming, and more than 220 million hours of advertising in 2022 alone. With Black at the helm, Edgio aims to drive technological and commercial innovation in the next era of streaming, which will see the number of concurrent views increase even further.
“I am thrilled to be working with the brilliant team at Edgio, who have been at the forefront of streaming for more than a decade. Edgio is a valued partner to customers, whose expertise has been forged over the years through the ability to solve the complexities of the digital video world in the simplest and most scalable way possible. I look forward to the future and the innovative perspectives Edgio offers our customers,” said Eric Black, CTO/GM Media at Edgio.
