Cablefax The Magazine - April 2017 - 35

42. STICKING TO THE SCRIPPS
Henry Ahn
President, Content Distribution &
Marketing
trend of winnowing its portfolio. Its six networks are built for speed in
well-defined lanes, with distribution guru Ahn and sales vet Gigliotti key
members of the pit crew.
Scripps Networks Interactive
Years in Cable: 27
Education: BS, Boston College;
MBA, Fordham University
One Word that Best Describes Me:
Tenacious
Steve Gigliotti
Chief Revenue Officer
Scripps Networks Interactive
Years in Cable: 17
Education: BBA, Marketing, University
of Pennsylvania
One Word that Best Describes Me:
Strategic
Scripps has embraced its core strength of live viewing, while also
viewing the infusion of new skinny bundle services from Internet-based
providers including Sling, PlayStation Vue and DirecTV Now as meaningful
new opportunities. Revenue at the company jumped 17 percent to
a record $2.4 billion in 2016, and the company is bucking the industry
43. THE ENERGIZERS
Charlie Herrin
EVP, Customer Experience
Comcast Cable
Years in Cable: 18
Education: University of Washington
One Word that Best Describes Me: Competitive
Bill
Stemper
President, Comcast Business
Comcast Cable
Years in Cable: 14
Education: Marquette; MBA, Wharton
Stemper has infused Comcast Business with an
entrepreneurial energy more often found in a
start-up than a major corporation. That spirit and
drive continue to generate momentum as Comcast
Business expands from serving small and
mid-size businesses to larger organizations. The
division recently added various enhancements to
its voice services portfolio, including VoiceEdge
for Skype for Business and VoiceEdge for Google
Chrome. Herrin is staving off cord-cutters by
actively developing new ways of identifying and
Cablefax: The Magazine
Ahn Q&A
The biggest innovation in cable over the last year? The growth of and
adaptation to cable subscription packages in an OTT way (i.e. vMVPD) such
as Sling TV, DirecTV Now and Sony Playstation Vue. We've already seen a
meaningful number of subs enjoying these OTT platforms. Over the next 12
months and beyond, we'll see many more competing in the marketplace.
Three years from now, what do you hope has been invented? A time
machine.
What product or service could you not live without? My iPhone.
How long is your morning commute? In Knoxville, about 15 minutes. In
NYC, about an hour.
Best way to spend a Saturday night: Dinner and a movie with my wife.
Last show I watched not on my networks: " Billions "
Gigliotti Q&A
What are the top three qualities you look for in a hire? Integrity, intelligence
and energy. Must have all three.
My OTT prediction is... By 2022, 20 million homes will be serviced by
OTT and skinny bundles.
Last show I watched not on my networks: " Westworld " on HBO
Favorite podcast: " GPS " with Fareed Zakaria ■
fixing product issues before customers spot
them, which has reduced customer contact rates
by 14 percent. Herrin's team promoted those
changes at 180 new or renovated Xfinity stores,
no doubt helping retain longtime subscribers
while growing the customer base by 216,000 in
Q3 2016 alone.
Herrin Q&A
What inspires you most about this industry?
The ability to change people's lives in the
home.
The biggest innovation in cable over the last
year? Wireless IP STB.
The best thing about fast broadband is...
That it gives us the ability to provide entertainment
to the other personal screens in the
household in a simple, more convenient way.
Three years from now, what do you hope has
been invented? I hope high-quality, dynamic
distance learning for K-12 education has been
invented via cable.
What are the top three qualities you look
for in a hire? I look for candidates that have a
positive attitude, have extreme drive and are
selfless. ■
April 2017
cablefaxmag.com
35
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Cablefax The Magazine - April 2017

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