Cablefax The Magazine - December 2010 - 17

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BIG ARTILLERY
Richard Plepler
Title: Co-Pres, HBO
Education: BA, Franklin & Marshall
Michael Lombardo (center)
Title: Pres, HBO Programming
Education: AB, Cornell; JD, U of CA, Berkeley
Sue Naegle
Title: Pres, HBO Entertainment
Education: BA, Indiana U
Why Them? Recession? What recession? The
Home Box trio seemingly had no idea about
the home market collapse as it spent money
like it was the go-go years of the '90s. First,
there was the long-awaited and pricey HanksSpielberg
mini-series The Pacific, an islandbased
follow-on to the same duo's extremely
successful Band of Brothers. Several months
later, HBO re-created Atlantic City's beachfront
(it trucked in the sand) for the prohibitively
expensive Prohibition-era Boardwalk Empire.
Most said the Scorsese-directed pilot cost a
reported $18mln-$20mln, although several
estimated the cost at more than twice that.
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BLANK OR LEBLANC?
Matthew C. Blank
Title: Chairman/CEO, Showtime Networks
Years in Cable: 34
Education: BA, U of PA; MBA, Baruch
I Watch TV Mostly: On Demand
Why Him? Last year, we said Showtime originals were
white hot. Arguably, they're even hotter now. Witness the
buzz around the feel-good series about murder, Dexter,
and the Emmy win for Edie Falco in Nurse Jackie. Blank
and departed entertainment chief Robert Greenblatt have
helped Showtime become a leader in premium originals,
and viewers rewarded the net with a 5.1mln subscriber increase.
More than that, Showtime contributed a significant
portion of the 12% increase in Cable Networks' revenue
for parent CBS. And we'll even boast a bit and mention
that Blank was inducted into our Programming Hall of
Fame this year and introduced at that event by a surprise
guest, Californication star and Golden Globe winner David
Duchovny (right, with Blank).
Matt Squared: Among new originals for '11 is Episodes,
starring that other Matt...LeBlanc. Also on the slate is
Shameless, starring William H. Macy, Joan Cusack and
CableFAX: The Magazine
December 2010
Was this the most expensive pilot ever from
HBO? The trio of Plepler, Lombardo and
Naegle never said so explicitly, but they
greeted the controversy with the mischievous
grin of those who know that any publicity is
good publicity.
Emmy Power: When the Emmys arrived in
late August, HBO's strength was apparent.
The Box was one of the night's big winners,
with little-known films about Jack Kevorkian
and an autistic animal husbandry professor
taking home a slew of gold. And the
investment paid, as The Pacific won best mini
series. HBO also led with 17 Creative Arts
Emmys, The Pacific being the top nominee
(24) and winner (7).
Tip of the Hat: Almost not mentioned here and
largely ignored by the media are outstanding
HBO properties like post-Katrina New Orleans
drama series Treme, hailed by citizens of that
battered city as extremely realistic. And don't
forget HBO's leading sports documentaries led
by Ross Greenberg and its general documentary
department with the incomparable Sheila Nevins
at the helm. A deep bench indeed.
Year Ahead: More Emmys, more big-name
talent and more competition.
Emmy Rossum; The Borgias, featuring Jeremy Irons; and
Web Therapy with Lisa Kudrow.
Year Ahead: Even sans Bob Greenblatt, with so many hot
originals it's hard to imagine Blank and company won't churn
out a few more hits.
On Your iPad: iTunes, lots of video, Bloomberg, Kindle, WSJ,
Huffi ngton Post, FAA delay site, Zinio, desktop, You Tube.
Biggest Threat to Cable is: Price
A Non-Cable Company That Knows How to Run/Market
Its Business: Netfl ix
Favorite Non-Showtime Show: Mad Men
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Cablefax The Magazine - December 2010

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