Cablefax The Magazine - May 2016 - 27

38. THE LONG RUN
Rocco Commisso
Title: Chairman & CEO, Mediacom
In a business where change is the constant,
Mediacom remains a strong, stable force as it celebrates
its 20th anniversary this year with Com39.
MARKET MONETIZERS
Paul Guyardo
Title: Chief Commercial
Officer, Discovery
Communications
Years in Cable: 10+
Education: Bachelor's
and Master's degrees
from Northwestern
University
One Word that
Best Describes Me:
Dedicated
J.B. Perrette
Title: President,
Discovery Networks
International
Years in Cable: 16
misso at the helm. The eighth-largest cable operator,
Mediacom serves 855,000 video subscribers,
and Commisso's long-term visionary strategy
has kept the company financially robust and able
to innovate quickly as market and technology
changes arise. Look for this calculated competitor
to remain in the game for a long time. ■
Education: Bachelor's in Public Policy from
Hamilton College
Guyardo is succeeding monetizing an evergrowing
number of new platforms so they're on
par with Discovery's linear networks. For one,
he oversaw the launch of streaming service
Discovery GO. Perrette's versatility and drive have
turned Discovery Networks into an international
force, making 2015 a record-breaking year for its
global audience. He is responsible for tremendous
business growth, including recent acquisition
Eurosport, and continues to optimize ad sales and
distribution grown via linear and digital platforms.
Paul Guyardo
What does the future look like for skinny
bundles and flexible packaging? Bright
Favorite charity event I work with: NY and
NJ All Stars
What was the last costume that you wore
and why? Nucky Thompson ( " Boardwalk Empire " );
DirecTV sales & marketing party
My personal theme song is: " Just Fine, " by
Mary J. Blige
J.B. Perrette
Hoverboard, driverless car or drone: Driverless
car
I watch the majority of programming on
this device: Tablet on flights
Favorite vacation spot: Brittany, France.
Last show I watched not on my network(s):
" Game of Thrones "
What was the last costume that you wore
and why? It wasn't meant to be a costume, but I
wore Tux and Tails to Royal Ascot last year, and my
friends thought I looked like the Monopoly Man! ■
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May 2016
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Tuesday - February 9, 2016
What the Industry Reads First
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Volume 27 / No. 025
FOX 4Q: Cable, Hulu & RSNs
Cable was the bright spot in 21st Century Fox's 4Q earnings, with OIBDA up 8% to $1.25bln driven by a 9% revenue
increase on strong affiliate revenue growth (2 large affiliates were renewed during the quarter). " Even in an environment
with a [growing number of] entertainment options, our affiliate revenue continues to grow, " said exec chmn Lachlan Murdoch,
suggesting it's a sign of the strength of the company's brand. Film was a disappointment, with revenue down 14%
to $2.46bln, though management is optimistic about current films, including " The Revenant, " and believes the biz is fundamentally
sound. For the near-term though, management lowered guidance on EBITDA. Highlighting cable's positive results
was the premiere last week of " The People v O.J. Simpson " on FX, which went down as the most-watched original scripted
series in the net's 22-year history. The premiere drew 12mln total viewers and 6.1mln 18-49s in Live+3. Fox News posted
double-digit percentage ad sales growth in 4Q (thanks to the GOP debates), but that was partially offset by lower ad rev
on a ratings dip at FX, with the year-ago period including the final season of " Sons of Anarchy, " said CFO John Nallen.
Interesting discussion on Hulu during Mon's earnings call about 21CF's view in investment and programming rights given
its status as both a co-owner and content owner. " As a distributor of our programming, Hulu's very important. We think it's a
good distributor and we're really happy to push it forward. That said, we're also very focused on distributing our product and
our programs through our other distributors, the MVPDs and others, " said CEO James Murdoch. " With respect to stacking
rights and all of the construct of the SVOD windows, we're very focused on creating a customer experience around
our product that's very good, creating an ease of discoverability... We are interested in having fewer holdbacks outside
the SVOD windows so we can actually provide a better product for customers and provide our MVPDs and over-the-top
distributors with a better ability to deliver a good product experience. I don't think those things are incompatible at all. " None
of the analysts on the call raised Comcast's decision to drop YES Network, but there was some discussion about the
overall pricing for RSNs. " At this point, we feel pretty good about RSN pricing, " James Murdoch said, noting that the company
was able to achieve its goals there in renewals earlier in the quarter. " There probably is some price inelasticity for the
hardcore fan, but you have to remember that the RSNs are broad. They're not just for superfans. The RSNs in many of our
markets are the #1 rated broadcast platform in their market, particularly in baseball season. " For the quarter, the company

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