Bitcentral Announces New Investment, Appoints Sam Kamel CEO

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(Image credit: Bitcentral)

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—Bitcentral, a provider of media software solutions, has appointed Sam Kamel as its CEO, replacing Steve Petilli. The company also announced a new private investor that it says has “recapitalized” its business, replacing the previous private equity fund which held a significant stake in the company. The unnamed investor will join the board of Bitcentral, headed up by Founder Fred Fourcher. 

“This marks a return for Bitcentral founder Fourcher, whose foresight in digital media's transformative impact has been pivotal, evolving Bitcentral from an essential software platform for nightly news preparation to a leading powerhouse in streaming media” the company said in a statement. “Under Fourcher's guidance, Bitcentral will continue to redefine audience engagement, offering scalable solutions from traditional broadcast newsrooms to dynamic streaming online talk shows.”

Bitcentral has provided software solutions to over 300 television stations and 1,000 media operations, including Fox, CNN, and Hearst. 

"Joining Bitcentral represents a thrilling new chapter. I'm committed to leveraging our broadcast and streaming prowess, to driving innovation and excellence, and to building the best team in the industry," said Kamel.

Kamel has served on Bitcentral’s board since March 2023. He has worked at Netscape, Microsoft, Fox and Ingram Micro, and spearheaded rapid growth at data analytics company iinside / CrowdVision. His background also includes consulting experience at McKinsey & Co. and service as a US Naval Officer. He has a BS in electrical engineering from Cornell University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. 

Tom Butts

Tom has covered the broadcast technology market for the past 25 years, including three years handling member communications for the National Association of Broadcasters followed by a year as editor of Video Technology News and DTV Business executive newsletters for Phillips Publishing. In 1999 he launched digitalbroadcasting.com for internet B2B portal Verticalnet. He is also a charter member of the CTA's Academy of Digital TV Pioneers. Since 2001, he has been editor-in-chief of TV Tech (www.tvtech.com), the leading source of news and information on broadcast and related media technology and is a frequent contributor and moderator to the brand’s Tech Leadership events.