WEDNESDAY, JANUARy 13, 2021 Volume 32 | No.008 Cablefax DailyTM WHAT THE INDUSTRY READS FIRST No More Silos: Sarnoff’s Impact August, was free to fans and offered first looks at upcoming projects in the DC Comics’ universe, including movies, video on WarnerMedia games, comics and TV shows. WarnerMedia studios and network group CEO Ann Sarnoff “It really was a tribute to the things that the fans love about hasn’t been afraid to make her voice heard since being tapped as DC and bringing it all together in one place, at one point in the first woman to head Warner Bros. Speaking at CES Wednes- time, and creating an event of it,” the CEO said. The event was day, Sarnoff attributed much of what she’s learned about diversity a major success for Sarnoff and the team, generating more and inclusion to her early days at Nickelodeon in the late ’90s. than 22 million fan interactions in August. “In terms of being a woman in this industry, it hasn’t been Those that attended the Fandome got a sneak peek of what easy. Earlier on, as in most industries, you had to conform was to come with “Wonder Woman 1984,” which made its debut to more of the male culture,” Sarnoff said. “At Nickelodeon, on Christmas Day on HBO Max. Warner Bros announced in early honestly, it’s the first time where I felt I could bring my full December that all of the movies in its 2021 slate would also pre- self in, and part of it is because it was being run by Geraldine miere day-and-date on the streaming platform. With the shift that Laybourne, who was a woman, and the staff was 60% female.” has become necessary due to the ongoing nature of the COVID-19 Laybourne’s leadership served as an example of how to get a pandemic, Sarnoff said companies can no longer rely on opening Friday, d ecember 18, 2020 seat at the table and make a difference, she added. able ailyTM C faxdayD box office numbers to predict the success of their films. Her top priority since joining AT&T has been to deconstruct hulu RaisiN g P R“Unlessices you’re serving ads, the eyeballs in that day-and- the silos that remained in place from the old Time WarnerHulu + Live. TV is the latest vMVPD date world are less relevant to ctheablefax overall engagementdashboaR dof the What Sarnoff didn’t expect to find was a just-as-siloed Warnerto raise pricing before year’s end, up- ping its base service—thepackage price tag fromamount it coststweet you tweet to acquire a subscriber,Research the Bros. “We have had weekly meetings on our big franchises$54.99/month to $64.99/month. The ➢ 46% of consumers are more likely commercial-freechurn version levelis also seeingevery month… it’s a completely different set of talking about how we can collaborate together, how we make to patronize local/small businesses a shift from $60.99/monthmetrics that to $70.99/ the industry is not geared to measure,”this holiday she season, said. driven primar- the whole more than the parts, how we bring the amazingmonth. The price increase will impact ily by a desire to give back to their new and existing“When subs and more take effect of the world is looking at streamingcommunities and looking(53%). characters and stories to life in a new and different way,”with shethe first billing cycle on or after Dec 18. for proxies of success, my guess is there will be➢ Customersthings we choose will to shop at said. “What I said to them was ‘Look, you don’t want your small businesses for the quality of distRibutiolearnN sooner on in the equation.” goods (48%) and customer service fans to see your org chart, and boy can they see it right Starznow.’” launched on fuboTV Friday. The PAI QUESTIONS BIG TECH TRANSPAREN(45%)CY as well as the ability to find Sarnoff pointed to the DC Fandome virtual event as achannel great is now available as a premium unique merchandise (44%). add-on to fuboTV’sWhen base outgoing package for FCC chair Ajit Pai was asked on C-SPAN last example of the newfound unity amongst the various segments$8.99/month. -- Latin concert channel ➢ The top way consumers plan to Tarima has beenweek added toabout the $5/month Facebook and Twitter’s decision supportto suspend local/small the businesses by of WarnerMedia. The virtual DC Fandome, which occurredCine y Entretenimientoin add-on package ordering take out from local restau- to DishLATINO. rants (48%). Many consumers also c-baNd auctioN hits $30mlN intend to get groceries at local mar- The FCC’s C-band auction surpassed the kets (37%), buying gift cards from local retailers (23%) and sharing $30mln mark before Friday’s last bidding their favorite businesses with family round ended. Bidding is scheduled to and friends (24%). continue through Round 45, which ends at noon ET on Dec 23. The auction will The Cablefax Editorial Team is Wednesday, January 6, 2021 Volume(Source: Comcast 32 | No.003 Business) then take a break until Jan 4, when reporting on vital industry updates Round 46 will kick off at 10am. Up for Quotable Thursday, d ecember 31, 2020 grabsCable is fax280 DmegahertzailyTM of mid-band up ahead every day. We want to hear from you, spectrum in the 3.7-3.98 GHz band. “I’m personally very excited about the wearable space. I think that has a lot of JAN 11-14reporting: VIRTUAL the CESnews 2021 for New Yorkers and we wish them wellTM in so please reach out to share your CablefaxPeoRetRPaleNs couNtdowN Dailyopportunity with not necessarily XR, but New Year’s Eve continues to be a contract deadline for many a their future endeavors,” Charter said. Terms weren’t disclosed. “PBS NewsHour” producer James F Blue III JAN 13: FCC OPEN COMMISSION augmented reality. And we’re already carriage deal, and there were stillWhat plenty of negotiationsthe Industry that were adios r to eeadsl Rey FI rst was named svp and head of Smithsonian testing and trialing industrial use cases, news and stories. going down to the wire Thursday. Mediacom needed Mto EETINGstrike a Reminder that El Rey’s 24/7 linear network is shutting down news networks and Twitter. Whenbelieve the Houseit or not, and in ourSenate cell sites to help ChannelnewDark agreement. HeDay: alsoThursday willPowell withoversee TEGNA newsDescribes for stations and in several mar- today. CFX broke the news earlier this month. El Rey has steadily went out of session as a group techniciansbroke into the commission Capitol, C- equipment factualkets including unscripted the Des contentMoines ABC for affiliate, the MTV Minneapolis-St JAN Paul14: ROCKYlost linear M OUNTAINdistribution C overABLE the past year, with AT&T dropping the Capitol Chaos as Unimaginable SPAN continued with live coverageusing from the its traditional studio (Greta hardhat with an EntertainmentNBC The station world KARE watched portfolio, and viaSt Louistelevision reporting NBC affiliatenetworks to Chris KSDK. and MediacomAbroadbandSSOCIATION channel EPIC in V JanuaryIRTUAL and PARTY Charter removingAR-capable it in September. visor. So early Its days, but if we Content. Community. Daily. 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As the protests heated up, astion WBAL-NBC results. in Baltimore and WMUR-ABC in Boston. It’s also Fox News has now officially won primegas and or total medial day for professionals.” 2020, as Amy Maclean, Editorial Director, CNN cut away from the Senate floor to document the scene arrivestill “This negotiating on is Dec a sad 31. with and We’ll Gray deeply beTV surefor disturbing WWBT-NBC to update moment and WUVP-CW forJAN our 25-28 nain - projected.: REALS CREENIt became S UMMITthe first cable news– T-Mobile net to endpres, a yeartechnology with NevilleTM Ray outside the Capitol. Fox News, CNN and MSNBC all had [email protected] Cablefax.comRichmond,tion,” NCTA VA. pres/CEO CablefaxOn and Tuesday, send Michael DISH news lostPowell alerts Capitol told for CFX Broadcasting. “The2021 storm’s - more than 3.5mln viewers inDaily prime. Itdiscussing was a pretty 5Ggood use year cases for at Oppen- coverage from inside and outside the Capitol as the riots anythreeing breakingof NC the stations, Capitol news WRAZ is yousomething (FOX), need WILM Ito could(IND) know. andnot WRALimagine (NBC) in inmy all the news nets though. See our storyheimer’s. -- Watching 5G TNT Summit and TBS’s What the Industrycontinued, and all r threeeads covered FPresident-ElectI rst Joe Biden’s or 301.354.1760 awildest retrans imagination.skirmish. They Nothing remain darkis more at press important time. However, to our coun the - 24-hour marathon of “A Christmas Story” has become a tradition Happy holidays! speech to the American people shortly after 4pm, with split- DBStry than provider a working did finally democracy reach a truce and with what Nexstar we are, bringingwitnessing an that shows up in NielsenAlthough ratings.