ViX Executive Pierluigi Gazzolo to Step Down at TelevisaUnivision

Pierluigi Gazzolo, CEO of ViX, is to step down at the end of the year at TelevisaUnivision after the Spanish language streamer reached first-time profitability.

His departure was announced on Thursday by Daniel Alegre, the recently appointed CEO of TelevisaUnivision. Gazzolo, who joined the Spanish language media giant in 2021, is also set to leave after ViX became profitable for the first time as part of the company’s third quarter earnings revealed earlier this week.

“As we evolve to the next phase of growth for the platform, and after talking at length with Pierluigi Gazzolo, I have news to share that he has made the personal decision to step down from his role as CEO of ViX at the end of this year,” Alegre said in an internal memo to TelevisaUnivision employees obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.

Alegre, the former president and COO of Activision Blizzard and CEO of Yuga Labs, took on the role of the new CEO of TelevisaUnivision on Sept. 19. He replaced Wade Davis, who became vice chairman of the board of TelevisaUnivision.

For his part, Gazzolo in his own employee memo said the recent growth and profitability at ViX allowed him to step away and pursue new personal and professional opportunities. “This inflection point of progress is one that makes my personal transformation arc here feel complete – the time is right for me to close this chapter, spend time recharging and explore what type of adventure will fuel me next,” Gazzolo wrote.

Alegre, addressing his first analyst call for TelevisaUnivision this week, said a priority will be bringing the group’s operations in the U.S. and Mexico closer together.

Copies of the internal memos from Alegre and Gazzolo follow:

From Daniel Alegre, CEO of TelevisaUnivision

Team –

As you may have followed in the earnings this week, we have made great progress on our digital strategy, particularly in the growth of VIX.  I couldn’t be prouder of what the team has achieved.  As we evolve to the next phase of growth for the platform, and after talking at length with Pierluigi Gazzolo, I have news to share that he has made the personal decision to step down from his role as CEO of ViX at the end of this year. This decision comes as part of Pierluigi’s desire to take time off to pursue new personal and professional opportunities, which I am fully supportive of.

The strategic project that Pierluigi and his team took on a little over three years ago turned into one of our most important endeavors, vital to our overall business globally.  The long nights and passionate work that Pierluigi brought to the table, along with the tremendous leadership team he helped build, are a testament to his incredible qualities as a leader. A friend to many, Pierluigi has made an indelible impact on TelevisaUnivision’s evolution, playing an integral role in driving forth the company’s digital and streaming transformation following the merger. Looking ahead, Pierluigi will remain at the company through December, and he will work with ViX COO Rafael Urbina along with the rest of the leadership team throughout the transition.

Please join me in expressing our gratitude to Pierluigi for his outstanding contributions to the company. While we are saddened to see him go, we wish him nothing but success in the next chapter of his journey.

Daniel

From Pierluigi Gazzolo, CEO of ViX

Team,

After much reflection, I have made the decision to step down from my role as CEO of ViX at the end of the year. This was not an easy decision, as my time here has been one of the most fulfilling and rewarding experiences of my career. When I joined Univision in January 2021 as President and Chief Transformation Officer, my intention was to do just that: transform. With the support of Alfonso, Bernardo and Wade, I was given the opportunity to evolve the organization to meet the modern needs of our audience. Together with all of you, we broke ground in a complex media ecosystem and captured the last meaningful open lane in streaming to launch a differentiated product that would become the world’s largest Spanish-language streaming service.

I want you all to know how proud I am of all we have accomplished together with ViX — we’ve surpassed viewership and revenue milestones this year and significantly expanded our footprint across platforms and geographies to deliver premium entertainment to Spanish-speakers worldwide. And to top it all off, we announced ViX’s profitability at our Q3 earnings this week – an amazing achievement driven by hard work and innovation from everyone across this organization, including our incredible partners from Televisa networks and studios in Mexico who brought us amazing content and promotion.

This inflection point of progress is one that makes my personal transformation arc here feel complete – the time is right for me to close this chapter, spend time recharging and explore what type of adventure will fuel me next. It has been an honor and privilege to work alongside such a talented, passionate, and dedicated group of individuals. I want to give my deep thanks to Alfonso, Bernardo and Wade for entrusting me with such a critical effort – as well as Daniel for his full support during this time.

As Daniel mentioned in his memo, we’ll be working closely together over the next several weeks, along with Rafa, to determine the best leadership structure for ViX. Until then, it’s business as usual as we look to close out 2024 strong. It’s been an incredible journey, and I thank you all.

Pierluigi