Cablefax The Magazine - April 2014 - 4

cablefaxmag.com
editorial
executive editor, cablefax group
Michael Grebb
The Expanding Universe...
I say it every year, but picking and ranking the Cablefax 100 just keeps getting harder
as the industry evolves. By the very nature of the list, we have 100 slots. That's it. And
yet the number of worthy execs continues to explode, not just within the confi nes of
" traditional cable " (whatever that means anymore) but also across the wide swath of
entertainment and services outside the traditional business. Even just on the content
side, it's hard to stay cable centric when you've got OTT shows like " House of Cards "
winning Emmys and consumers increasingly watching content on myriad platforms, both
authenticated and not, across all kind of devices.
What is cable anymore? Does it even matter? And are the wires over which all these bits
fl ow increasingly turning into utility pipes that eventually attract regulation? Shudder
the thought, yes. But bits are becoming so important to the fi nancial health of the global
economy that policymakers continue to circle. And many see events like the proposed
Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger and the planned Communications Act rewrite as the
perfect opportunity to " level the playing fi eld " to make cable more of a commodity than a
vibrant business that rewards innovation with big profi ts.
The cable/telecom world is now so complex that it's almost petty to focus on the entertainment
content that once made up the core of cable's residential business. Look at the areas of
future growth. It's not necessarily premium video content, with its rising costs, that will drive
the future. It's broadband and its ability to carry those bits-along with other digital traffi c
powering home automation and security, telemedicine, workplace collaboration and more.
The execs who will make the Cablefax 100 list a decade from now may not be the usual
suspects on the list today. For example: With so many cable networks churning out such
high quality shows in this Golden Age of Television, we feel a certain obligation to include
lots of GMs and other programming execs so responsible for cable's place in the collective
zeitgeist. But what if cable's business evolves into more of an all-IP, broadbanddriven
menagerie of services that largely overshadows the linear TV service getting so
much attention today? Sure, it's already happening. But look 10 years out, and you have
to wonder if the industry's top home automation expert or telemedicine guru will outrank
the CEO of a major programming group. Will powerful content gatekeepers-who we
rank high today because they wield so much power over programmers-move down the
100 rankings as consumer content options continue to expand?
Of course, the list evolves slowly. This year, we added Netfl ix and Hulu to the mix. Next
year, more additions in new areas (both inside and outside of cable)
could be in the offi ng. Is this science? Of course not. The Cablefax 100
has always been a wholly subjective undertaking, and we don't always
get it right. But we try. As for the wonderful execs who grace this annual
list every year, we salute you. The future is always
uncertain, but it's most certainly bright. Onward! ■
managing editor
Cathy Applefeld Olson
contributors
Nick Dmytrenko, Paula Hendrickson, Kaylee Hultgren, Amy
MacLean, Michael Maloney, Joyce Wang
advertising/business
senior vice president, media communications group
Diane Schwartz
(212) 621-4964, dschwartz@accessintel.com
associate publisher, cablefax group
Amy Abbey
(301) 354-1629, aabbey@accessintel.com
marketing
director of marketing, media communications group
Kate Schaeffer, kschaeffer@accessintel.com
(301) 354-2303
marketing coordinator
Diana Rojas, drojas@accessintel.com
design/production
Joanne Moran, jmoran@accessintel.com
senior production manager
Joann M. Fato
(301) 354-1681, jfato@accessintel.com
director of marketing, cablefax
Laurie Hofmann
(301) 354-1796, lhofmann@accessintel.com
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