Tom Rogers is a digital media/traditional media/media technology executive who has shaped many corners of the communications industry. From revolutionizing business and news coverage through the creation of CNBC,[1][2][3][4] with the first broadcast coming on April 17, 1989,[5] and MSNBC,[6] to changing the face of TV consumption through TiVo,[7] including such impactful innovations as bringing Netflix and Amazon (company) to initiate the streaming TV era; to overseeing such iconic media brands from New York Magazine[8] to Arts & Entertainment and History channels;[9] to writing many of the nation's key laws that governed the development of today's media industry.[10]
From print to television to digital to gaming, Rogers’ influence has been felt throughout all media sectors. His career has operated at the nexus of media, gaming, digital transformation, technology and public policy for more than three decades.
Education
Tom is a graduate of Wesleyan University and Columbia Law School. He serves on the Dean’s Council of Columbia Law School, and the joint Columbia Law School/Columbia Business School Richman Center. He also serves on the American Bar Association Task Force for American Democracy.
Career
Oorbit
Rogers is currently Executive Chairman of Oorbit Gaming and Entertainment.[11] Oorbit is providing access for gaming enthusiasts to a wealth of very high-quality games that are not available through the major game consoles. In enabling users to gain access to highly sophisticated games on par with the software quality of many of the best known triple A games, Oorbit is opening up the breadth of gaming options for gamers and developers alike. Oorbit’s pioneering new distribution technology, through a multi-cloud streaming solution, powers the highest quality interactive gaming experiences, directly to a phone or the TV set, without the need for any console device. The Oorbit solution does so at far lower distribution cost than is otherwise available in the market. This combination of access to a treasure trove of high-quality games, along with distribution technology that enables a first-class experience in terms of speed, resolution and interactivity at low cost, all come together to create a whole new level of offering for the gaming market.[12]
In announcing Mr. Rogers’ appointment as Executive Chairman, Ash Koosha, CEO of Oorbit stated, “From steering TiVo as the first company to stream Netflix and Amazon to the TV set, to providing the marketplace with advanced measurements of streaming gaming and esports at Engine, it is clear that Tom has had a major impact throughout the streaming media world. As Oorbit takes streaming of gaming to a whole new level, having Tom on board will be of enormous value to us.”[11]
Newsweek
Rogers is Editor-at-Large for Newsweek, and writes columns on policy and political issues for Newsweek.[13] He often appears on Morning Joe on MSNBC to discuss his Newsweek commentaries.[14]
CNBC
Rogers is a CNBC contributor and has been a frequent guest on business news channels including Fox Business Network and Bloomberg TV.[15] Notable appearances include CNBC's Squawk on the Street,[16] CNBC's Mad Money with Jim Cramer,[17] CNBC's Fast Money (talk show), and Fox Business Network's Countdown to the Closing Bell.[18]
TRget Media, LLC
Rogers currently serves as chairman of TRget Media, LLC,[19] a media investment and operations advisory firm.
Frequency Networks, Inc.
Rogers serves as independent director of the board of Frequency, Inc, a company that provides technology services to create and enable free advertising supported streaming TV channels (FAST channels).
Engine Gaming & Media Inc.
From 2020 to 2023, Rogers was Executive Chairman[20] of Engine Gaming and Media, Inc, (a Nasdaq listed company trading under the symbol GAME) and then Executive Chairman of Gamesquare, Inc. which merged[21] with Engine Gaming and now trades as GAME on Nasdaq. Engine Gaming was, and Gamesquare is, composed of several gaming and media solutions businesses. Engine Gaming was created in May 2020 from the merger of three companies: WinView Games, Torque Esports, and Frankly Media.
WinView, Inc.
Appointed in May 2016, Rogers was Executive Chairman of WinView Games, Inc.[22] a Silicon Valley company, until the merger creating Engine Media.[23] WinView provided a platform for competitive social games for money while watching live sports on TV, backed by a substantial patent portfolio.[24][25]
Frankly, Inc.
Rogers was appointed in March 2017 as chairman of Frankly, Inc.,[26] a publicly traded company that managed the digital and mobile news distribution for local broadcast stations and other media properties, including Newsweek, throughout the United States. He served in this capacity until the merger creating Engine Media.[27]
Captify, Limited
Rogers is chairman of Captify, Limited,[28] a UK based advertising technology company with offices in New York, Paris and Madrid. He was appointed chairman in 2018 and served in that capacity until the company's sale in 2022. Captify’s primary offering is aggregating over 40 billion pieces of internet search data a month to enable major brands around the world to effectively target their marketing efforts.
TiVo, Inc.
For eleven years, from 2005 to 2016, Rogers served as president and CEO of TiVo, Inc., the longest such tenure in the company's history.[29] TiVo has been seen as vastly changing television viewing behavior through its invention of the DVR. TiVo was sold to Rovi in 2016 at which point Rovi adopted the TiVo name.
PRIMEDIA, Inc.
Before TiVo, Rogers was chairman and CEO of PRIMEDIA Inc., which was then the leading targeted media company in the United States.[30] PRIMEDIA published some 200 magazines, including New York Magazine, operated more than 400 websites, and owned a wide range of television and video businesses.[31][32]
NBC Universal Cable
Rogers was the first president of NBC Cable (now NBCUniversal Cable) and Executive Vice President of NBC, as well as NBC’s chief strategist.[33][34] Among his many accomplishments, Rogers founded CNBC, the nation’s leading business news channel and established the NBC/Microsoft cable channel and internet joint venture, MSNBC.[35][36][37][38][39][40]
As the first president of NBC Cable Rogers oversaw the establishment of National Geographic Channel,[41] Court TV[42] and Independent Film Channel, and served as co-chairman of the board of A&E Television Networks and The History Channel for 10 years. In addition, he oversaw American Movie Classics, Bravo (U.S. TV network), and several regional sports channels.[43]
U.S. House of Representatives Telecommunications, Consumer Protection and Finance Subcommittee
Prior to NBC, Rogers was senior counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives Telecommunications, Consumer Protection and Finance Subcommittee, where he was responsible for drafting a number of communications laws including the Cable Franchise Policy and Communications Act of 1984,[44] which established the federal regulatory framework for the cable industry, and for overseeing the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).[45]
Additional career
Rogers has also served as the senior operating executive for media and entertainment for Cerberus Capital Management, a large private equity firm, and as chairman of the board of Teleglobe (now VSNL International Canada), a leading international telecommunications, voice-over-internet, and mobile telephony provider.
From 1994 to 1999 Tom served for four years as president and one year as Chairman of the International Academy of Television which among other things, oversees the International Emmy Awards.
Rogers also served as vice chairman of Supermedia (NYSE: SPMD), which was created by the spinoff of Verizon Communications Yellow Pages print and digital business.
Rogers began his career as an attorney with a Wall Street law firm.
Awards
Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame
During his 2013 induction into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame, Jack Welch, former chairman and CEO of General Electric, said:
"Tom came in to, if you will, to put NBC in the cable business. At NBC, no one had respect for cable, they were broadcasters and never the twain shall meet. Those two words didn’t go together easily. He legitimized it. He made it a place to be."[46]
Lesley Stahl of CBS News, in announcing his induction into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame, said, "Rogers is a guy who gets things done... and he transforms companies along the way."[47]
Cable Hall of Fame
Rogers was inducted into the Cable Hall of Fame in 2016.[48][49] Morning Joe hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough said, "He started MSNBC and took TiVo by storm... Tom is a legend."[50]
Emmy Awards
He is also the winner of Emmy Awards[51] for his contributions to the development of advanced television and advanced advertising. Tom was also inducted as a Cable Pioneer.
References
- ↑ "Why DeSantis 'really stepped in it' on abortion issue". MSNBC.com. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
- ↑ "Squawk Box". CNBC. 12 February 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
- ↑ "'Netflix should take a victory lap', says top media mogul Tom Rogers". CNBC. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
- ↑ "'Advertisers have a right to speak', says media mogul Tom Rogers on Elon Musk's comments". CNBC. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
- ↑ "Last Call: DeSantis vs. Disney". CNBC.com. 17 April 2023. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
- ↑ Singer, Michael. "Tom Rogers named new CEO of TiVo". CNET. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
- ↑ Lieberman, David (17 November 2015). "TiVo's Tom Rogers Gives Up CEO Job, But Will Stay As Chairman". Deadline. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
- ↑ Sorkin, Andrew Ross; Carr, David (18 April 2003). "Chief Resigns at Primedia; Main Owner Focuses on Sale". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
- ↑ "The Cable Center - Tom Rogers". www.cablecenter.org. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
- ↑ "VIDEO: Media Pioneer Tom Rogers on "The Big Lie" and the Failure of Media". www.mediavillage.com. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
- 1 2 "Tom Rogers Appointed Executive Chairman of Oorbit Gaming and Entertainment". Yahoo Finance. 18 September 2023. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
- ↑ Fitness-gaming.com (22 February 2017). "OrbIT Gaming Platform Introduces Interactive Games to People with Limited Hand Function". Fitness Gaming. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
- ↑ "Tom Rogers". Newsweek. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- ↑ "TiVO unveils the commercial-skipping Bolt". MSNBC.com. Morning Joe. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
- ↑ "CNBC Contributor - Tom Rogers". CNBC. cnbc.com. 22 November 2017.
- ↑ "TiVo Introduces Roamio". CNBC. 20 August 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
- ↑ Cramer, Jim (15 October 2013). "TiVo CEO: Hope to Reinvent Television". CNBC.com. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
- ↑ "TiVo CEO 'Roamio' is Apple TV, Google TV, Netflix All in One". FoxBusiness.com. Fox Business. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
- ↑ "Disruptor Awards - Tom Rogers". 9 January 2017.
- ↑ Nicholson, Jonno (11 May 2020). "Torque Esports, Frankly and WinView merge to create Engine Media". Esports Insider. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
- ↑ Corp, Torque Esports. "Torque Esports Corp. Completes Acquisition Of Frankly Inc. And WinView, Inc". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 8 January 2021.
- ↑ "WinView Inc. Leadership". WinView Inc. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
- ↑ Nicholson, Jonno (11 May 2020). "Torque Esports, Frankly and WinView merge to create Engine Media". Esports Insider. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
- ↑ "Torque Esports, Frankly And WinView Announce Three Way Combination". Bloomberg.com. 22 November 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
- ↑ "WinView and the Illustrious Career of Tom Rogers". Front Office Sports. 6 October 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
- ↑ "Frankly Appoints Tom Rogers as chairman of the board". Reuters. 13 March 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
- ↑ Nicholson, Jonno (11 May 2020). "Torque Esports, Frankly and WinView merge to create Engine Media". Esports Insider. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- ↑ "Tom Rogers Named Chairman Of Ad Tech Company Captify". Forbes.com. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
- ↑ Lieberman, David (17 November 2015). "TiVo's Tom Rogers Gives Up CEO Job, But Will Stay As Chairman". Deadline. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
- ↑ Kuczynski, Alex (27 September 1999). "Primedia Set To Name NBC Executive As Its Chief". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
- ↑ "Pressing Forward;Primedia's Tom Rogers is shaping a new kind of media company". Advertising Age. 17 April 2000.
- ↑ "Primedia's Big Gamble: Going Online with Old Media". Businessweek. 10 August 2000. Archived from the original on 15 August 2000.
- ↑ "TiVo CEO: on 'TiVo Stream'". CNBC Tv. 22 May 2012.
- ↑ "Building NBC's Future". Broadcasting & Cable. 5 May 1997.
- ↑ "TiVo CEO: Our Birthright is Innovation". CNBC Tv. 7 March 2013.
- ↑ "The End of TV as We Know it". Fortune. CNN. 23 December 1996. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
- ↑ "Disney among the best positioned in the media landscape: BofA Securities". CNBC. 12 February 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
- ↑ "Defying Republicans, Big Companies Keep the Focus on Voting Rights". The New York Times. 12 April 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
- ↑ "Morning Joe: The Push for a Corporate Great Migration". MSNBC. 19 May 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- ↑ "Engine Media's Tom Rogers breaks down Netflix's all-time high and the streaming wars". CNBC. 3 September 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
- ↑ "National Geographic joining Fox, NBC in television venture". Associated Press. 5 May 1999.
- ↑ "Will Views Be Shouting: I Want My Court TV?". Businessweek. 24 June 1991. Archived from the original on 18 January 2013.
- ↑ Sandomir, Richard (1 April 1997). "NBC Buys Piece of Garden". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
- ↑ Andy Plesser (15 May 2015). "(VIDEO) Media's Future Is 'Infinite Choice Meets Personalization': TiVo's Rogers". HuffPost. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
- ↑ "Tom Rogers on Primedia's potential as an internet player". Media Life Magazine. October 1999.
- ↑ "Tom Rogers Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame - 2013". Vimeo. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
- ↑ "Tom Rogers Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame - 2013". Vimeo. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
- ↑ Winslow, George (26 April 2013). "Tom Rogers, President and CEO, TiVo Inc". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
- ↑ "The Cable Center - Tom Rogers". www.cablecenter.org. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
- ↑ "TV for the next generation". MSNBC. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
- ↑ "Emmy Award Winners". Emmy Awards. Retrieved 25 April 2015.