Tonia O’Connor serves as president of Content Distribution and Corporate Business Development for Univision Communications Inc. (UCI), the leading media company serving Hispanic America. In this role, O’Connor drives the Company’s content distribution efforts across all screens, including online and mobile. She leads UCI’s efforts to expand its content availability and licensing revenue by securing key partnerships and new business models with leading content distributors, as well as with top consumer electronics companies.
Under her leadership, the Company launched the distribution of UVideos, the first ever bilingual digital video network, which is now available on more than 240 million devices. She also launched and oversees the company’s first over the top English-language digital network, Flama, made by and for Hispanic Millennials. Additionally, O’Connor works with other key leaders across UCI to coordinate joint ventures and investments and develop new programs and businesses with external partners. She also launched and leads UCI’s Women’s Leadership Council, an employee resource group organized to prepare the next generation of leaders at Univision. O’Connor reports directly to the CEO. She joined UCI in January 2008 as executive vice president of Distribution Sales and Marketing. Prior to that she spent 13 years at Gemstar TV Guide, where she served as executive vice president of Distribution. Before that, she served as executive vice president, Affiliate Sales & Marketing, and served as senior vice president of National Accounts for TV Guide Affiliate Sales. O’Connor held various positions within Affiliate Sales and Marketing since joining Gemstar TV Guide in 1994, starting first in the cable and satellite publishing division. During her tenure at Gemstar TV Guide she was responsible for negotiating complex technology and intellectual property agreements, as well as programming deals. She also played an integral role in the growth of Gemstar TV Guide’s networks and defining the strategy of the company. O’Connor began her career in the telecommunications industry, serving in sales and marketing positions at Bell South and Advanced Telecom Services. She is supportive of industry organizations and currently serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board at the S.I Newhouse School of Public Communications and the board for the T. Howard Foundation. O’Connor is a member of Women in Cable Telecommunications and previously served on the board of Cable Positive. She has received multiple awards and recognitions, including the Liberty Award from the Philadelphia Chapter of Women in Cable Telecommunications in 2005, and appeared on CableFax’s 50 Most Powerful Women in Cable in 2005 and 2006, as well as every year from 2008-2012, and the magazine’s Top 100 annually beginning in 2008. In 2011, O’Connor received a Wonder Women award by Multichannel News and was honored with the 2011 Moves Magazine Power Woman award. She was also named as one of Cynopsis’ Most Intriguing People in 2013, and most recently featured in The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment Power 100 in 2012 and 2013.O’Connor graduated from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University with a dual degree in Broadcast Journalism and Political Science.
