Jason Gaedtke has joined Time Warner Cable Inc. as a group vice president, Cable Digital News has learned. Gaedtke, an Internet engineer and former Comcast Corp. exec, left CableLabs in early 2008 to become the CTO of Joost.

A Time Warner Cable spokesman confirmed that Gaedtke is on board with the MSO, but could say only at this time that Gaedtke is reporting to Mike Hayashi, the MSO's executive vice president of advanced engineering.

Given his history with Internet video and advanced Web technologies, it seems Gaedtke will help Time Warner Cable build on its "TV Everywhere" technical strategy.

Earlier this month, the MSO confirmed that it will test a broadband video service that allows its cable TV subscribers to watch premium shows and movies via the Web using a combo of entitlement and authentication methods. Like Comcast, TWC is starting off the tech test in partnership with thePlatform Inc. and involving about 5,000 customers. TWC expects to make the content available from its own Web properties and via the sites of its programming partners, including TBS, HBO, Syfy, and Discovery Communications, among others. (See Verizon, TW Cable Join 'TV Everywhere' Bandwagon, TV Everywhere Spreads, and TWC Boots Up 'TV Everywhere' Trial.)

Incidentally, rumors surfaced earlier this year that TWC took a look at Joost as a possible acquisition target, but a deal never materialized. (See Is Joost on the Block?)

Gaedtke offers TWC gobs of Web TV experience. He joined Joost in the first quarter of 2008 as CTO, coming on board as the company underwent some significant strategic changes, including a decision to switch from a peer-to-peer desktop app to a version that runs in Web browsers. (See Joost Reorgs to Focus on Video Platform and Joost Upping Video Quality, Looking for a CDN (Or Two).)

Gaedtke left Joost earlier this year, eventually joining Synacor Inc., another company that's trying to get hooked into MSO TV Everywhere strategies, and counts customers such as Charter Communications Inc., BendBroadband, Bresnan Communications LLC, Broadstripe, and Buckeye CableSystem. However, it's said that Gaedtke decided to leave the Buffalo, N.Y.-based company less than a month after coming on board. Since then, it appears as if Synacor has filled the gap with the hiring of former Yahoo Inc. exec C.J. Singh as VP of product and engineering. (See Synacor Hires Ex-Yahoo.)

Gaedtke's move to TWC also marks his return to the cable MSO world. He previously served as chief architect at Comcast Interactive Media (CIM Labs), the division that operates the Fancast video hub and is tasked with developing operator's On-Demand Online/TV Everywhere service.

In between his five years at Comcast and his move to Joost, Gaedtke served as chief scientist at CableLabs, where he headed up research and outreach in areas such as P2P architectures, metadata management, and online gaming platforms. That was his second stint at CableLabs. Before joining Comcast, he was project director at the cable R&D house, focused on PacketCable architectures.

— Jeff Baumgartner, Site Editor, Cable Digital News

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