With over two decades of creating, growing and leading streaming and interactive services, Eric Berger has overseen a profitable portfolio of digital first business initiatives at both start-ups and leading media organizations including Sony Pictures Television, as the Chief Digital Officer and head of the Direct To Consumer Unit; and Time Warner, where he leveraged a variety of business models and products, including AVOD, SVOD, TV Everywhere, Game, VR, AR, and voice.
In his current role as CEO and Co-Founder of Common Sense Networks (CSN), Berger has built a business that sources, certifies and programs the safest short-form content for kids and families under the brand Sensical. He partnered with 100’s of kids Creators and launched a flywheel of distribution and monetization that includes AVOD, FAST and SVOD offerings. With the company’s singular expertise in age appropriate content, Berger has also leveraged unparalleled proprietary child development data and insights to offer brands, marketers, and media entities access to scalable, innovative solutions including ratings and curation operations; contextual content advertising; creator optimization and certification services. Berger also negotiated unique partnership deals with TikTok and YouTube to vet and approve content, rate creators, and develop an unprecedented kids’ ad network. Recently, the best-in-class streaming service was honored as a World Changing Idea by Fast Company.
Notable in his career, Berger built the leading and Emmy-nominated, free, ad-supported streaming network, Sony Crackle, and served as its GM. Considered by many as the architect of premium AVOD OTT services, Berger built the profitable business from the ground up and drove 80% annual growth in consumer engagement prior to leading its successful exit. He oversaw operations, programming, technology, marketing, analytics, product, and advertising sales for PlayStation®, and led a studio in the development, production and distribution of original Emmy nominated dramas, comedies and feature films with talent including Jerry Seinfeld, Bryan Cranston, Dennis Quaid, and 50 Cent.
Berger’s portfolio at Sony included global anime powerhouse Funimation. Under his management, the business experienced 90% growth in subscribers, and his strategy created a global Anime business for Sony by uniting disparate streaming services in other Sony divisions into a global brand that included home entertainment, merchandise, theatrical and live events.
He started and ran the profitable P&L of the Sony Pictures Television Game Studio, with published titles such as Hotel Transylvania, Smurfs, Who Wants to Be A Millionaire, and Wheel of Fortune. The studio’s Alexa skill Jeopardy! has been the longest running #1 voice game on Amazon.
Berger turned around to profitability the Sony Pictures Television’s linear channels in the North American region, including Sony Movie Channel, Cine Sony, and getTV, and then drove 100% annual growth in Operating Income. Further, he launched the digital presence (TV Everywhere) of the company’s 100+ Television channels around the world including AXN, Sony Channel and Animax.
Prior to joining Sony, Berger was vice president of strategic planning at Time Warner Inc. (AOL, HBO, Turner Broadcasting, Time Inc., Time Warner Cable, and Warner Bros.) where his responsibilities included wireless initiatives and the creation of new digital growth businesses, and was a Principal in the Strategic Consulting Practice at PriceWaterhouseCoopers.
Berger has been honored with numerous industry accolades including The Leadership in Media and Entertainment Award at Variety’s Digital Hall of Fame, Hollywood Reporter’s Digital Power 50, and Variety’s 30 Digital Entertainment Execs to Watch.
