Jim Ramo Named Chief Executive Officer of MOVIELINK, The Video-On-Demand Distribution Service Formed By MGM, Paramount, Sony, Universal Studios & Warner Bros.
PRNewswire
01/29/2002
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Jim Ramo has been named Chief Executive Officer of Movielink (formerly referred to as Moviefly), the video- on-demand distribution service formed as a joint venture between Metro- Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal Studios and Warner Bros. The announcement of Mr. Ramo's appointment and the new official name for the service was made today by the Board of Movielink.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020129/LATU054 )
Mr. Ramo is a senior business executive with over 25 years of experience in the delivery of entertainment and related services. He reports to a Board comprised of representatives from each of the five equity partners.
"Jim Ramo brings an exceptional combination of entrepreneurship, business acumen, technical expertise and knowledge of film distribution to the enterprise. He is uniquely qualified to lead this business as it opens an exciting, new, and convenient way for consumers to get the programming they want when they want it," the Board said in a statement. "The selection of Jim as CEO and the Movielink name complete two critical next steps in the development of the service."
"This is a unique moment in time as VOD infrastructure deployment is beginning to match the consumer's demand for ever greater convenience in viewing options, whether through cable, satellite or broadband Internet," said Mr. Ramo. "Movielink will make desirable and high quality feature film content available in a reliable and secure manner. The creation of Movielink demonstrates these studios' commitment to VOD as a growth opportunity and the Internet as a new channel of distribution."
The venture, which was announced on August 16, 2001, will create an open-access IP (Internet Protocol) based system for content delivery. The studios will supply movies to the service on a non-exclusive basis. Each content provider will independently determine its own release windows and pricing strategies. Movielink will be available only in the United States. Other means of delivery will be explored.
With more than 10 million broadband households, the launch of home networking and the increasing threat of piracy, the studios believe the time is right to support the creation of a video-on-demand digital distribution channel. Movielink will offer consumers a wide selection of recently released theatrical films as well as additional content from film libraries spanning all genres -- action, comedy, drama, family, children, foreign and classics. The service will also be available to other video and film producers and distributors who want to distribute their films to Movielink's consumer base.
Movielink is headquartered in Los Angeles.
Jim Ramo's 25 years of experience in the delivery of entertainment and information has made him a leading member of the broadcast, cable and satellite industries. His credentials range from executive positions in Fortune 500 companies to start-ups where he has built a reputation for using new technologies to broaden the distribution of content to consumers.
From 1985 to 1990, Mr. Ramo was vice president of Hughes Communications (the forerunner of PanAm Sat) responsible for sales to the cable and broadcast industry. Most notably, from 1990-1997, he was a primary founder, and executive vice-president of DIRECTV, the industry leading DBS company. Following DIRECTV, he was COO of TVN Entertainment and CEO of Geocast Network Systems from 1997 to 2000. Before Hughes, he was a vice president at Times Mirror Cable Television, a manager at TRW Datacom International and a director of finance at CBS Television.
Most recently, Mr. Ramo was in residence at Shelter Ventures, LLC, consulting for various communications companies and initiating investment opportunities in new media for this $200 million fund.
Mr. Ramo has a M.S. degree from London School of Economics and a B.A. from University of California, Berkeley. He has two adult children and he and his wife and teenage daughter live in Los Angeles.
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SOURCE: Movielink
Contact: Corey Weiss of Movielink, +1-310-689-7594,
corey.weiss@movielink.com