• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, July 27, 2009

Barry Diller's IAC has persuaded NBC Universal Entertainment co-chairman Ben Silverman to partner on a new multimedia production company. Headed by Silverman, the yet-to-be-named startup will attempt to unite producers, creators, advertisers and distributors under one roof, and produce all forms of content for distribution across a variety of global platforms.

"Media is being consumed across an increasing number of platforms, including TV, the Internet, mobile, and DVR," said Silverman. "The next generation of media will be defined by the players who can capitalize on those trends and deliver integrated, compelling content across all platforms."

NBCU said Monday that Jeff Gaspin -- until now head of NBCU's cable operations -- will assume Silverman's role as head of the entertainment division. Silverman is expected to remain at NBC through September to aid in the transition.

More broadly, Silverman is expected to continue his relationship with NBCU via the new venture through platform partnerships and a potential investment by NBCU in the enterprise.

In a statement, Barry Diller, chairman and CEO of IAC, characterized the new venture as bridging the gap between traditional television and the Web, and breaking the current silos of the media industry to create a broad-based, 360-degree, multi-creative company.

The new company will aim to bring marketing and advertising expertise in-house to help advertisers sponsor, support and be involved with the content creation process from the beginning.

"Uniting advertisers and content creators will fundamentally improve quality and enable a fluid production and distribution model," Silverman said.

IAC will provide initial capital to the venture, although the parties intend to ultimately structure the venture in such a way that its results will not be consolidated with the financial results of IAC, whether through the participation of new investors or otherwise. Additional terms of the venture were not disclosed.

Silverman, whose two-year contract with NBC expired this summer, came to the Peacock Network in 2007 after leading his own production company, Reveille.