Cablefax The Magazine - June 2018 - 14

13. THE HULU TALE
Randy Freer
CEO
Hulu
Years in Cable: 29
Education: St. Joseph's College
After a successful run at Fox Networks, Freer
last October made a move to the corner office
14. MUST
SEE TV
Matt Bond
Chairman, Content
Distribution
NBCUniversal
Years in Cable: 25
Education: BS, BA,
Marketing & Finance,
Univ. of Denver; JD,
University of Colorado
Mac Budill
President,
TV Network
Distribution
NBCUniversal
Years in Cable: 27
Education: BA,
Yale; MBA, Harvard
at Hulu, vacated when Mike Hopkins took a post
at Sony Pictures Entertainment. Hulu had been
gaining traction this past year, particularly with
an Emmy nod and gangbusters viewership for its
original series " The Handmaid's Tale, " and launch
of its live TV service for those looking for the
complete viewing experience. But Freer has even
bigger plans. He's looking to pursue the acquisition
of major sports rights, and innovating in the
Frances
Manfredi
President,
Television
and New Media
Distribution,
US & Canada
NBCUniversal
Years in Cable: 20
Education: MBA, NYU
This rock-solid team of NBCU veterans keeps business
booming at 30 Rock. Bond and Budill continue
to work in unison as they close deals and negotiate
the best possible distribution agreements, such
as the global portfolio deal with Charter, to bring
increased revenue to the company. Another success
this past year for them was securing distribution
for " The Olympics Channel: Home of Team USA "
across MVPDs and vMVPDs. Meanwhile, Manfredi
oversees off-net TV and film distribution to cable
and new media platforms, a business that brings in
more than $1 billion in annual revenue.
15. BEST WORLD
Richard Plepler
Chairman & CEO
HBO
Years in Cable: 24
Education: Franklin & Marshall
Casey Bloys
President, Programming
HBO
Years in Cable: 14
Education: Northwestern University
Like its pay TV brethren, HBO is facing it fiercest competition yet in this
era of cord-cutting and competition. But with a golden track record and
a bent for attracting stand-out creators of original content like current
darling " Westworld " and an upcoming string of " Game of Thrones "
spinoffs, Plepler and Bloys' brand-first focus keeps HBO among the top
of the pack. They're also less stymied by sticker shock, as the network
14
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way that those rights
are distributed to
customers. Given his
business smarts in
sports and his track
record of getting
things done, there's
no reason not to bet
on a win. ■
Matt Bond
Favorite shortform content? Airbrush tutorials
What product or service could you not live
without? My surfboard
Favorite podcast: " The Truth "
Mac Budill
Favorite restaurant: Flex Mussels (NYC)
First thing you read in the morning: Newsprint
version of the NY Times
Last show I binged not on my network(s):
" Killing Eve " (AMC)
Frances Manfredi
What product or service could you not live
without? Amazon Prime
Last show I binged not on my network(s):
" The Handmaid's Tale "
Favorite podcast: " Dirty John " ■
has never shied from paying top dollar to woo and hang on to premium
talent. While at press time the status of parent Time Warner was up in
the air with the verdict still out on the Justice Department-AT&T trial,
one thing's for sure: There's no winter coming to HBO with Plepler and
Bloys at the helm. ■
June 2018
Cablefax: The Magazine
http://www.cablefaxmag.com
Cablefax The Magazine - June 2018

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