Cablefax The Magazine - December 2010 - 42

72|
THE PEACEMAKER
Sam Howe
73|
BRISTOL STRIKER
John Skipper
Title: EVP, Content, ESPN
Years in Cable: With ESPN since '97
Education: BA, Literature, UNC: MA,
Literature, Columbia U
I Watch TV Mostly: Live, the only way to
watch sports.
Title: EVP/Chief Marketing Offi
cer, Time Warner Cable
Years in Cable: 24
Education: BA, Bowdoin; MBA,
Kellogg Graduate School
I Watch TV Mostly: TiVo/Recorded
Why
Him? Sure, Howe runs all
of Time Warner Cable's branding,
marketing and advertising
in an increasingly competitive
world, but he also oversees customer
care. He's well known outside
his company, too. Howe's
the incoming CTAM Chairman
and was the diplomatic glue that
helped create cable's DTV Advisor
Hotline, created at President
Obama's request.
Did You Know?: Before joining
cable, Howe started in the radio
business.
Year Ahead: Time Warner
Cable faces tough telco competition
in several key markets,
including Manhattan. The
pressure on Howe to conceive
innovative marketing and customer
outreach has never been
greater-and it will all come
down to execution.
On Your iPad: Backgammon
In '11, Cable Will: Win by offering
products-service experiences
that go beyond the bundle.
Favorite TV Show: 30 Rock
Motto: Achieve results through
the efforts of others.
42
cablefaxmag.com
Why Him? Although Skipper's creative
hands know no bounds and he's been
integral to ESPN's amazingly robust multiplatform
strategy, you could sum up his
successful year by mentioning 30 for 30.
The series of sports-related fi lms celebrating
ESPN's 30th anniversary were consistently
very good,
some were excellent.
Big Kicks: As we
said, you could
sum up Skipper's
year with 30 for 30,
except he and ESPN
were also wildly
successful with The
74|
HIGH-WATER MARK
Mark Hollinger
Title: President/CEO, Discovery Networks International
Number of Years in Cable: 19
Education: BA, Colgate U; JD, Yale
I Watch TV Mostly: TiVo/Recorded
Why Him? Hollinger might lack the name recognition of other
execs, but the veteran Discovery hand is well-respected in Silver
Spring and with his Dec '09 promotion to Pres/CEO of Discovery
Networks International he's guiding one of the fastest growing
sectors of any cable programming business. Discovery has a
global reach of nearly 1bln subscribers in more than 170 countries.
This year, Discovery Networks International launched TLC
for the fi rst time outside of the US. That network now reaches
nearly 50mln homes in 25 international markets.
Nice Work: Hollinger started a development division to
create original international programming for distribution.
The Year Ahead:
International is white hot at the moment.
Dinner With Any Cable Star: Bear Grylls (as long as I can
pick what we eat).
Who Wins a Fight Between Kevin Martin and Julius
Genachowski? Julius, soft-spoken guys can still pack a punch.
Best Business Advice: Don't talk unless you have something to say.
December 2010
CableFAX: The Magazine
World Cup. Skipper took on the skeptics
early, predicting bullish ratings potential.
Boy, was he prescient. Targets were
smashed, with ESPN achieving success
across virtually every platform, including
ESPN3 and ESPNSoccernet.com. 55%
of all Americans consumed ESPN Cup
content, and Bristol's subsequent research
provided advertisers with valuable insight
into consumers' media use.
Year Ahead: ESPN's fi rst BCS Championship
game runs early in '11, kicking off
its ride into the future, which might include
Olympics coverage.
On Your iPad: Right now, a stack of hardcover
books.
When It Comes To Media Issues, The
New Congress Should: Watch more
cable, particularly live sports, on a regular
basis to appreciate the incredible value a
consumer receives.
Best Biz Book: Dickens' Christmas Carol
Most Underrated Drink: Tall
Favorite City for Business: Anywhere near
a signifi cant concentration of monkeys.
http://www.ESPNSoccernet.com http://www.cablefaxmag.com
Cablefax The Magazine - December 2010

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