Cablefax The Magazine - June 2018 - 23

33. DISH IT UP
W. Erik Carlson
President & CEO
DISH
Years in Pay TV: 23
Education:
Bachelor's degree,
Bradley University
Warren
Schlichting
Group President
Sling TV
Years in Cable: 16
Education: Bachelor's,
Economics, Harvard
University
Schlichting and Carlson
complement each
other well. While both
may both be relative
newcomers to their
positions, that hasn't
stopped them from confronting low customer
satisfaction in the pay-TV industry. The former
knows that Sling continues to be the choice
of millions of consumers because the
company's programming packages
are competitively priced and allow its
customers to have choice and control.
He keeps on top of game-changing situations,
testifying in April in U.S. District
Court in Washington, D.C., that an AT&T
and Time Warner merger would lead to
a " lose/lose for us, win/win for them. "
Carlson ascended to the top seat at DISH
last December, but he's been with the
company since 1996 and, as a result, the
company's mantra- " think long term " -
is firmly entrenched in his mind. He's
earned the praise of DISH chairman Charlie
Ergen by building up a stronger, more
profitable sub base for the company.
W. Erik Carlson
Favorite restaurant: Right now it's
Matsuhisa in Vail, Colo.
Best advice your mom or dad ever
gave you? Sleep on the big decisions.
Worst advice your mom or dad ever
gave you? Finish your plate.
Bitcoin - pro or con? Pro
What product or service could you not live
without? iPhone and Wifi
34. IF YOU
BUILD IT, THEY
WILL WATCH
Cesar Conde
Chairman
NBCUniversal
International Group
& Telemundo
Enterprises
Years in Cable: 15
Education: BA, Harvard
University; MBA,
the Wharton School
at the University of
Pennsylvania
Conde's dream of a state-of-the-art global headquarters came true in April
when the Telemundo Center opened in Miami. The move brings all of the division's
operations under one roof. The new digs are equipped with the latest
production technology, which will help Telemundo maintain its prominence in
the competitive Spanish-language television market. Having a great clubhouse
also will come in handy as Conde oversees one of the network's most important
events this year, the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia. Also, Conde spearheaded
the company's disaster relief efforts raising $13 million for numerous
catastrophe victims. ■
Cablefax: The Magazine
June 2018
What's the first thing you read in the
morning? I start with a quick review of email
and text, then read The Wall Street Journal.
What does the future look like for skinny
bundles and flexible packaging? More
choice and flexibility for customers.
Last show I binged not on my network(s):
" American Idol " with the family
If you could have a superpower, what
would it be and why? Time-shifting
Warren Schlichting
Best advice your mom or dad ever gave
you? Mom: " You can only play football when
you're young, but you can play piano forever. "
If I ever get elected President, my first
executive order will be... No tweeting of any
kind after midnight in D.C.
What does the future look like for skinny
bundles and flexible packaging? The networks
gave away their prior season birthright
to Netflix and now are rushing to correct their
blunder with direct-to-consumer packages that
unwittingly break the bundle.
Favorite podcast: " Malcolm Gladwell's Revisionist
History " ■
35. THE DIRECT-OR
Daniel York
Chief Content Officer
AT&T DirecTV
Years in Cable: 25+
The spotlight is on DirecTV
Now, and York continues
to prove himself an agile
leading man. A year after
launch, DirecTV Now in
December hit a major
milestone-topping one
million subscribers-and
is moving full steam ahead
with its next-gen platform
offering a cloud-based
DVR, " 3rd-stream, "
interface upgrades and 4K
quality. The service's acquisition of new subscribers is keeping
AT&T's video business in pole position among competitors, but
there's no time to rest on laurels. Look for York to continue to
ramp up content, including more than 200 local broadcast channels,
and premium programming. ■
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