MediaCo Promotes René Santaella to Chief Growth & Innovation Officer
René Santaella • Photo Credit: MediaCo Holding, Inc.
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NEW YORK, March 9, 2026 (BUSINESS WATCH GLOBAL) — Multiplatform media company MediaCo Holding Inc. has announced the promotion of René Santaella to the newly created role of Chief Growth & Innovation Officer.
In the role, Santaella will oversee what the company describes as its end-to-end “Supply + Growth Engines” chain across television, audio, digital, and streaming platforms. According to the company, the position is designed to align content investment with distribution, audience engagement, inventory scale, and monetization performance across its portfolio.
Santaella will report to Chief Executive Officer Albert Rodriguez and work with the executive team to lead strategy and execution across content development, distribution partnerships, product and audience engagement, data and analytics, technology innovation, artificial intelligence initiatives, and revenue enablement.
“MediaCo grew significantly in 2025 with record ratings and streaming viewership, revenue and reach. We are the momentum in the market, so we are investing in the required leadership and resources to accelerate growth. René has a proven track record in building, modernizing and scaling multiplatform businesses and delivering measurable results. This new role is designed to be relentlessly focused on growth and innovation and maximizing the impact of our content, distribution, product and monetization engines,” said Rodriguez.
Santaella most recently served as Chief Operating Officer of MediaCo since October 2024. In that capacity, he led multiplatform strategy, growth, distribution, and operations across streaming video, network and local television, audio, and social platforms for brands including EstrellaTV, Estrella News, Hot 97, Curiosity Stream’s Spanish-language FAST channels, and Que Buena LA. He also contributed to the expansion of MediaCo’s sports business, including partnerships with Liga MX, Combate Global, and Bally Sports.
“This role is designed around a simple truth: in today’s media landscape, growth comes from aligning the entire chain around consumers and a multiplatform world on every screen and every device. I’m excited to be hyper focused on growth and innovation by optimizing the value of our content portfolio, expanding distribution and inventory, improving engagement, and advancing the technology and workflows that power our platforms,” said Santaella.
Brian Fisher, Chief Revenue Officer of MediaCo, also commented on the appointment.
“René's leadership will accelerate how we scale distribution, inventory and monetization across our platforms. As MediaCo's audience continues to grow across TV, audio, digital and streaming, and with digital surging – this role helps turn that momentum into even greater value for advertisers and partners,” said Fisher.
Before joining MediaCo, Santaella served as Chief Digital & Streaming Officer at Estrella Media, Inc., where he led digital and streaming strategy. His previous experience includes senior leadership roles at Sony Pictures Television and Disney, with responsibilities across digital, streaming operations, and advertising monetization. He holds an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Business and a B.A. from UCLA.
MediaCo Holding Inc. (Nasdaq: MDIA) operates television, radio, digital, and streaming brands serving multicultural audiences nationwide.
For more information, visit https://mediaco.now.
Source: MediaCo Holding Inc.
