Cablefax The Magazine - June 2018 - 9

THE TOP10
3. IT HAD TO B.U.
Bonnie Hammer
Chairman
NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment and Studios
Years in Cable: 30+
Education: BA, Communications, MA Media and New Technology,
Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, Boston University
Hammer's business acumen and sixth sense combine to keep NBCU
Cable Entertainment in step with, if not a stride ahead of, the times. She
now oversees the content flowing not only to the 100 million-plus viewers
of NBCU's six cable networks but also to a growing cache of streaming
services. Universal Cable Productions is bringing " The Umbrella Academy "
starring Ellen Page to Netflix and the Julia Roberts-starring " Homecoming "
to Amazon, just two examples of the broadening reach of the content
empire she oversees. Last year, Hammer reached a smaller but no less
important audience as her alma mater's commencement speaker. She told
4. CHARTER CHIEFTAIN
Tom Rutledge
President & CEO
Charter Communications
Years in Cable: 41
Education: California University of Pennsylvania
When it comes to important industry topics, you can count on Rutledge to be at the front of the pack. He has long
called for companies to work together to reign in password sharing. It's not surprising then that as Facebook-Cambridge
Analytica put privacy in the spotlight he took the reins in calling for Congress to pass a uniform law with opt-in
requirements that would apply to the entire internet ecosystem. The CEO also has taken a leadership position on
compensation, instituting a $15 per hour minimum wage within the next year following tax reform and the removal of
the Title II statutory framework. He'll continue to blaze trails in the year ahead, including in wireless and 5G. ■
5. 21ST CENTURY DEAL-MAKERS
James Pitaro
President
ESPN
Co-Chair
Disney Media Networks
Ben Sherwood
President
Disney/ABC Television Group
Co-Chair
Disney Media Networks
As Disney's pending $52 billion acquisition of 21st
Century Fox's film and TV studios continues to
make headlines, it's difficult to imagine a better
place for Sherwood to dwell. The deal isn't official yet, but is expected to come to
completion this year. Also on the horizon is Disney's highly anticipated streaming
service, for which Sherwood expects his division to be the largest contributor,
with 7,000-8,000 shows from the Disney/ABC library alongside three to four new
original series and movies. Disney Digital veteran Pitaro may only recently have
risen to the top at ESPN, but he's already led major efforts such as the launch of
OTT service ESPN+ in his quest to redefine the future sports fan experience. ■
Cablefax: The Magazine
June 2018
6. PREMIERE LEADERSHIP
Josh Sapan
President & CEO
AMC Networks
Years in Cable: 36
Education: BA, University of Wisconsin
Another year with Sapan at the helm continued
to solidify AMC Nets as a powerhouse entertainment
brand. The launch of AMC Premiere brought a new premium service
to Comcast customers with other distributors signing on, while an original
programming partnership with Charter paves the way for future growth.
Programming continues to peak; 2017 saw the networks Sapan oversees
garner a combined 27 Emmy nods for everything from AMC's " Better Call
Saul " to IFC's " Portlandia. " New originals including " McMafia " and " Dietland "
are balanced with the return of flagship series " The Walking Dead, "
which was a No. 1 TV show for a record-breaking sixth consecutive season.
Your social media platform of choice? Snapchat
Favorite short-form content? Funny or Die
What product or service could you not live without? Broadband.
Minimum 50 megabit, ideally 500.
Last show I binged not on my network(s): " Fargo " ■
cablefaxmag.com
9
6,500 graduates at Boston University that no matter what their degree, they
are now in charge of telling the most important story ever: their own.
If I ever get elected President, my first executive order will be... a mandatory
return to civility.
Best advice your mom or dad ever gave you? Whenever I'd complain
about something I felt I couldn't accomplish, my dad would wisely say
" there's no such word as 'can't'... you're simply not trying hard enough. " ■

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Cablefax The Magazine - June 2018

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