Cablefax The Magazine - December 2012 - 6

1. GOING FOR
THE GOLD
Steve Burke
Title: CEO, NBCU/EVP, Comcast Corp. (pictured, left)
Education: Colgate, MBA from Harvard Business School
Neil Smit
Title: President/CEO, Comcast Cable/EVP, Comcast Corp. (pictured, right)
Education: Duke University, Masters from Tufts
Why Them? With huge distribution and content assets all wrapped into
one, Comcast's Smit and Burke belong at the top of our 100 pyramid this
year. And yes, the success of the London Olympics plays a big part in their
ranking. Both the distribution and programming side delivered big, with
many viewing the Games as a watershed moment for TV Everywhere. U.S.
pay TV subs had more than 88 million authenticated streams during the
Summer Olympics, making it the biggest single event ever for the technology.
Smit also gets a gold medal for the improvement Comcast Cable is
showing in video subs. Things are going so well, that some analysts are
even beginning to wonder if the MSO is close to posting positive video
sub growth. Oh, and did we mention Comcast earned CableFAX's MSO
of the Year award? Over at NBCU, Burke can take pride that even after
the Olympics, NBC broadcast, long known for finishing in fourth place,
is showing positive momentum... perhaps a " Revolution " ... Plus there's
NBCU's strong stable of cable nets, including USA and Bravo, which could
be on their way to higher affiliate fees and CPMs based on ratings. Sure, it
helps to be part of the biggest, baddest company in the industry, but Smit
and Burke's No. 1 ranking is about more than size. It's about innovation
(check out Comcast's cloud-based X1 platform) and results (back to those
impressive Olympic stats, including breaking even instead of losing money
on the Games).
2. BRITT-ISH INVASION
Glenn Britt
Title: Chairman/CEO, Time Warner Cable
Number of Years in Cable: 40
Education: AB - Dartmouth; MBA - Tuck School at
Dartmouth
Best Advice in 7 Words or Less: Work hard, but
have fun.
Why Him? For Britt, it's simple: " Understand the
marketplace and make the consumer happy, " he
says. Easier said than done when you're steering
a crew of 50K through broadcast's turbulent tides.
Britt has stayed the course, however, and TWC has
seen staggering returns, doubling net income in Q3
compared to 2011-a feat, considering TWC tallied
nearly $20 billion in revenue last year. With new
modem rental fees expected to haul in $350 million
annually, and the ink still wet on several wireless
agreements with Verizon Wireless, expect Britt's
2012 to end well.
The one thing I'd do differently if I could go back to
high school: Be taller and better looking.
When scientists from the future dig up a cable
system from 2012, they will conclude that... It will
still be in use!
My favorite business and/or motivational book:
They are all bad.
My favorite vacation spot: Hawaii
My guilty television pleasure is... " Homeland "
6
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December 2012
CableFAX: The Magazine
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Cablefax The Magazine - December 2012

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