Cablefax The Magazine - March 2017 - 18

Gabriel Lewis
VP, CONTENT & STUDIOS,
PUBLISHING & DIGITAL
MEDIA
Kay Madati
EVP, CHIEF DIGITAL OFFICER
BET NETWORKS
DISNEY CONSUMER PRODUCTS
AND INTERACTIVE MEDIA/MAKER
STUDIOS
Lewis focuses on development of original content
across platforms, and strategic programming partnerships.
This past year he stepped on the accelerator,
greenlighting a swath of programming with unique
creator voices, with a focus on differentiated strengths.
Lewis also continues to parlay Maker's relationship
with parent Disney into extensions for Maker, including
recent offshoots under the Marvel and Lucasfi lm
brands. He says the pursuit of younger audiences is
shaking up traditional distribution in a meaningful way.
" It's an inevitable outgrowth of the fragmentation that's
been happening for more than a decade, " Lewis says,
" not to mention the ongoing pursuit of new business
models on digital platforms. "
Aaron Luber
HEAD OF CONTENT
PARTNERSHIPS
GOOGLE CARDBOARD
Luber sees the world a little differently:
It involves using a certifi ed Google
Cardboard viewer. The former Sony
and Crackle exec leads partnerships and business development
for Google's VR unit. Most recently, he supported
the worldwide distribution of YouTube across all
connected devices. That includes managing business
development for YouTube, developing emerging platforms
and business opportunities including OEM, cable
providers, telcos and all other connected distribution
outlets beyond the living room for YouTube.
Roger Lynch
CEO, SLING TV
DISH
Sling TV is CEO Roger Lynch's baby.
And like any proud papa, he's happy to
brag about the DISH streaming service,
which has won multiple awards and
a growing number of subs. His top focus right now is
completing the launch of Sling's DVR service. " DVR is our
most-requested feature and is currently in beta with thousands
of customers. We expect to expand the feature's
availability in the coming months, " he says. The beta
version currently offers up to 100 hours of storage and
allows users to record multiple programs simultaneously.
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cablefaxmag.com
A former Facebook exec, Madati knows
a thing or two about cultivating a digital
audience. At BET Networks, he leads
the teams responsible for all aspects
of digital, social and mobile strategy while overseeing
operations, content creation and product development
across digital. He knows the importance of digital not
just being a " me too " offering, leading BET Digital's relaunch
last year of its entire digital ecosystem. In the fall,
BET launched branded, dedicated TV Everywhere apps
for Apple TV, Roku and Google Chromecast-all part of
Madati's efforts to be everywhere BET's fans are.
Laura Martin
SENIOR EQUITY ANALYST,
ENTERTAINMENT &
INTERNET
NEEDHAM & CO.
Can't handle the truth? Don't knock
on Martin's door. Wall Street-savvy,
current and brutally honest, Martin continues to provide
forward-looking business analysis to cable players
as they navigate the rapidly changing multiscreen
landscape. The keynoter for last year's Cablefax
Multiscreen Summit publishes research on the largest
Internet, entertainment and cable companies, and has
a knack for synthesizing information that might seem
disparate into solid actionable data for individuals and
companies of all ilks who play in the multiscreen space.
John Najarian
EVP & GM, E! NEWS &
DIGITAL
E! ENTERTAINMENT
A true multiscreen advocate, Najarian
has been leading the charge in E!'s
strong emergence into short-form and
social-broadcast video content. All this while maintaining
E!'s presence on the big screen as well. He sees
small screens and vertical viewing as drivers towards
a new viewing paradigm, creating " a new opportunity
for storytellers. " Being quick to embrace new forums
such as Snapchat and Facebook Live, Najarian has
observed the way these new broadcast arenas push
other social platforms " to respond with products and
offerings of their own. " Under his leadership, E! News
has become an example of how to spread content
across devices while maintaining brand alignment and
encouraging strong viewer engagement.
March 2017
Cablefax: The Magazine
http://www.cablefaxmag.com
Cablefax The Magazine - March 2017

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