Cox Media Group said it has named former AT&T chief content officer Dan York as CEO of the station group, effective immediately.

York left AT&T on March 1 after nearly a decade at DirecTV. He had been DirecTV’s chief programming executive since 2012, and continued in that role when AT&T purchased the company in 2015. York had been a key figure in AT&T’s programming negotiations and has a long history in the television distribution business, beginning in 1987 as a VP and general manager at HBO/Time Warner Sports.

Cox Media Group took its current shape in February 2019 after private equity fund Apollo Global Management purchased 14 TV properties from Cox Enterprises’ Cox Media Group for an estimated $3 billion. Since then the company, which retained the Cox Media name, has done several deals, bulking up to 33 TV stations in 20 markets, 54 radio stations in 10 markets and several multi-platform streaming video and digital properties.

The company has been involved in a handful of high-profile retransmission consent disputes over the past few months, included a four-day blackout of Verizon Fios TV customers at the beginning of the year. In March it reached a truce with Dish Network customers to resume carriage of several stations during the COVID-19 pandemic that were blacked out in mid-January. 

York joins Cox Media just a few weeks after former CEO Kim Guthrie stepped down after 22 years with the company. 

“I’m excited to welcome Dan as the President and CEO of Cox Media Group,” said Apollo co-lead partner of private equity David Sambur in a press release. “He has an outstanding record of leadership in this industry, and of operating efficiently, creating strategic vision, and inspiring organizations to innovate and grow.”

Steve Pruett, who serves as Cox Media Group executive chairman will remain in that role. 

“The past few months have underscored that there is no substitute for the most important and valuable content in the ecosystem, market-leading local news and entertainment,” York said in a press release. “I look forward to working with the Board and the CMG team as we continue to enhance our partnerships with our advertisers, content providers and distribution outlets to best serve our communities and millions of viewers and listeners.”

York was AT&T’s point man in programming negotiations and helped start The Audience Network, the DirecTV original content vehicle that was expected to be transitioned into a marketing vehicle for AT&T’s HBO Max streaming service.

Prior to being named York had been president of content and advertising sales at AT&T from 2004 to 2012 when he moved to DirecTV. Prior to that stint, he was senior VP of programming and development at InDemand from 2000 to 2004.

AT&T senior executive VP and chief content officer Dan York will be leaving the company effective March 1, the telecom giant confirmed Thursday.

York, an industry veteran, had been DirecTV’s chief programming executive since 2012, and continued in that role when AT&T purchased the satellite TV giant in 2015.  York has been a key figure in AT&T’s programming negotiations and has a long history in the television distribution business, beginning in 1987 as a VP and general manager at HBO/Time Warner Sports. 

Also read: AT&T TV: Everything You Need to Know About the Streaming Version of AT&T’s Premium Pay TV Service

News of York’s impending departure was first reported by the Los Angeles Times. 

AT&T spokesman Jim Greer confirmed in an email message that York is leaving the company on March 1.

In addition to serving as the point man in programming negotiations, York also was responsible for The Audience Network, the DirecTV original content vehicle that will be transitioned into a marketing vehicle for AT&T’s HBO Max streaming service.

York had been president of content and advertising sales at AT&T from 2004 to 2012 when he moved to DirecTV. Prior to that stint, he was senior VP of programming and development at InDemand from 2000 to 2004.

“We appreciate Dan’s many years of service,” AT&T consumer CEO Thaddeus Arroyo said in a statement to the LA Times. “His contributions significantly shaped our content strategies and we are grateful for his leadership and commitment to providing our customers with their favorite live sports and entertainment.”

York has a reputation as a savvy programming negotiator, but DirecTV has shed about 4 million subscribers in the past two years as consumers have shifted toward streaming services. AT&T is expected to launch its latest streaming product, AT&T TV, later this year.

York was singled out in a 2016 lawsuit filed by the federal government that accused DirecTV of colluding with other programmers to block carriage of SportsNet LA, the regional sports network that carries Los Angeles Dodgers baseball games. That suit was settled in 2017. 

York is expected to be replaced by senior VP content & programming Rob Thun. Thun, like York, moved over to AT&T from DirecTV, which he joined in 2013 from Univision Communications. Before Univision, Thun spent seven years at AT&T and was part of the team that launched its U-Verse product. Prior to AT&T, Thun worked for Fox Cable Networks for seven years, serving as VP of national accounts, sales strategy and business development. 

AT&T senior executive VP and chief content officer Dan York will be leaving the company effective March 1, the telecom giant confirmed Thursday.

York, an industry veteran, had been DirecTV’s chief programming executive since 2012, and continued in that role when AT&T purchased the satellite TV giant in 2015.  York has been a key figure in AT&T’s programming negotiations and has a long history in the television distribution business, beginning in 1987 as a VP and general manager at HBO/Time Warner Sports. 

News of York’s impending departure was first reported by the Los Angeles Times. 

[embed]https://twitter.com/MegJamesLAT/status/1228047545286311936[/embed]

AT&T spokesman Jim Greer confirmed in an email message that York is leaving the company on March 1.

In addition to serving as the point man in programming negotiations, York also was responsible for The Audience Network, the DirecTV original content vehicle that will be transitioned into a marketing vehicle for AT&T’s HBO Max streaming service.

York had been president of content and advertising sales at AT&T from 2004 to 2012 when he moved to DirecTV. Prior to that stint, he was senior VP of programming and development at InDemand from 2000 to 2004.

“We appreciate Dan’s many years of service,” AT&T consumer CEO Thaddeus Arroyo said in a statement to the LA Times. “His contributions significantly shaped our content strategies and we are grateful for his leadership and commitment to providing our customers with their favorite live sports and entertainment.”

York has a reputation as a savvy programming negotiator, but DirecTV has shed about 4 million subscribers in the past two years as consumers have shifted toward streaming services. AT&T is expected to launch its latest streaming product, AT&T TV, later this year.

York was singled out in a 2016 lawsuit filed by the federal government that accused DirecTV of colluding with other programmers to block carriage of SportsNet LA, the regional sports network that carries Los Angeles Dodgers baseball games. That suit was settled in 2017. 

York is expected to be replaced by senior VP content & programming Rob Thun. Thun, like York, moved over to AT&T from DirecTV, which he joined in 2013 from Univision Communications. Before Univision, Thun spent seven years at AT&T and was part of the team that launched its U-Verse product. Prior to AT&T, Thun worked for Fox Cable Networks for seven years, serving as VP of national accounts, sales strategy and business development. 

AT&T and HBO said tonight they have reached a multi-platform agreement to extend HBO content across AT&T platforms and have HBO and Cinemax join the upcoming DirecTV Now over-the-top streaming service, scheduled to launch later this year. Other than it being a multi-year deal, the companies said they wouldn't disclose financial terms of the agreement. HBO and Cinemax content also will be part of AT&T mobile video bundle offers, the companies said, with details on that front to come later. HBO and Cinemax channels' places on DirecTV and AT&T U-verse lineups are renewed in the pact.

RELATED: AT&T: DirecTV Now Will Be a Game Changer

Here are the pertinent release quotes:

Dan York, chief content officer for AT&T: "Our agreement with HBO is groundbreaking in the pay TV and wireless industries as well as the premium category. With this agreement, we have created easy access to subscribe and consume HBO's premium content across all of our platforms. We look forward to growing HBO and Max subscribers. This is a first-of-its-kind deal for both companies and a big win for consumers, building off AT&T's industry leading scale as an HBO distributor for the benefit of our wireless, broadband, and entertainment customer base."

Simon Sutton, president, global distribution, HBO: "We are thrilled to extend and deepen our valued and long-standing relationship with AT&T by announcing this groundbreaking agreement. This deal will deliver the best in TV programming to viewers across AT&T's multi-platform experience. The entertainment landscape has evolved and we are excited to innovate on both AT&T's traditional and new platforms to further provide premium quality, extraordinary value and accessibility to viewers anywhere."

DirecTV’s exclusive Audience Network channel will be offered to AT&T U-Verse customers, the company said Wednesday.

The channel, which launched in 2011 and features exclusive original programming including drama series Kingdom and music series Guitar Center Sessions, will now be available on AT&T U-verse’s channel 1114.

“We’re always looking for new ways to give our customers the most value for their programming dollar ...adding Audience Network is a perfect way to do that,” said Dan York, chief content officer, AT&T. “There is no better time to experience Audience Network’s compelling programming. Whether you’re a movie buff, a sports fan or a music enthusiast, Audience Network’s fall lineup has something for you.”

The move comes two months after the completion of AT&T’s $48.5 million merger with DirecTV, which effectively combined content operations for both companies under York. In a recent interview with Multichannel News, York said that the company “will carefully evaluate” other content currently on DirecTV’s lineup that AT&T does not carry and vice versa.

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AT&T’s $48.5 billion merger with DirecTV has placed the telco at the top of the distribution food chain among multichannel video-programming distributors. Armed with greater leverage to negotiate distribution deals with content providers, AT&T executive vice president and chief content officer Dan York is in a good position with regard to developing the company’s future content strategy. in an email exchange with Multichannel News programming editor R. Thomas Umstead, York — who was chief content officer at DirecTV before the merger and, prior to that, was head of content and advertising sales at AT&T — answered questions about his content plans for the merged entity and his thoughts on future content trends within the industry.

MCN:You have run both the AT&T U-verse and DirecTV content divisions and now oversee them both. How will the content setup be structured under the merged entity?

Dan York: The DirecTV and U-verse programming, content acquisition and development functions have been brought together as one. The team handles all content-related matters for all U.S. AT&T platforms, including pay TV, mobile and online. It also includes our regional sports networks, original programming, and content operations and is now consolidated under the new AT&T Entertainment and Internet Services (AEIS) Content organization.

MCN:What advantages does the merger give you with regards to negotiating deals with programmers? Does it change your content acquisition priorities at all?

DY: Our unmatched position as the world’s largest pay TV provider, with over 19 million Latin America and 26 million U.S. pay TV customers — plus over 100 million mobile and Internet customers — will enable us to create more value and a better experience for our customers. Our focus remains the same: Provide our customers with the best content and experience across all platforms and devices, at the best cost structure in the market.

MCN:With an increased industry focus on mobility and bundling in broadband and wireless, how does that factor into your content priorities?

DY: In our conversations with programmers, we always keep top of mind what matters to our customers: the ability to receive their content wherever, whenever and however they want, on any screen they choose, at a price they can afford.

MCN:Is over-the-top distribution something that becomes a more interesting option now?

DY: We view it as simply delivering the best content offering and experience regardless of platform, such as our satellite assets or via IP. DirecTV has been delivering content over IP for years now with our robust TV everywhere offering, as well as our “NFL Sunday Ticket. TV” streaming service. Last December, we launched a new IP-delivered service dedicated to Spanish-language viewers called Yaveo.

Now, as part of the AT&T family, we’re in a unique position to develop and expand these and new services to more customers. There are also some exciting opportunities on the horizon through our joint venture with The Chernin Group, as we look to officer unique mobile-centric content to complement our more traditional offerings.

MCN:Will you look to add networks currently on U-verse’s lineup that DirecTV does not carry, and vice versa?

DY: We are focused on providing U-verse and DirecTV customers with a great entertainment experience and programming they can effortlessly watch on any device — all at the right price. We will carefully evaluate what is best for all of our customers and our business.

MCN:Will the new entity look to develop exclusive, original programming for its subscribers?

DY: Original programming has been a focus for DirecTV for years and will be an area to potentially further differentiate across all platforms. Our team will be very active in developing new and exclusive content that we’ll be able to deliver to any device. We’re excited about what the future holds in this area of our business and for our customers.

MCN:Whom do you see as your competitors?

DY: While one could consider almost anyone who delivers video entertainment to consumers a competitor, frankly, when you look at the unique combination of our content, pervasive mobile, broadband and video scale and ability to deliver a premium, effortless entertainment experience almost anywhere, we don’t think anyone compares. No one will be able to deliver the quality and breadth of content as efficiently on such an extensive scale to more devices at more value than AT&T Entertainment and Internet Services.

MCN:How do you see the content business evolving over the next five years?

DY: This is not exactly a news flash, but the traditional linear TV model will continue to change as content is increasingly viewed on multiple platforms. If recent trends are any indication, the future is likely to be about increased consumer choice, personalization and portability. That’s not to say families won’t continue to congregate around their 60-inch flat screen TV to watch their favorite show, movie or sporting event, but consumers will increasingly want the opportunity to watch what they want to watch on their own terms. Programmers will also need to adjust to that reality with more flexibility and affordability in their content offerings. Ultimately our customers will tell us how this will all play out, but as part of the AT&T family we are well-positioned to explore new business models that anticipate and embrace that future.

MCN:Will you consider developing skinny bundles in an eff ort to provide customers with more choice?

DY: We are always looking for ways to deliver the right value for our customers, but any conversation about skinny bundles has to begin with programmers who tie numerous marginal channels to their more popular networks. We will continue to try to find the right model and price/value equation that works for our business and our customers, but tough choices must be made or consumers will increasingly make them for us and our content suppliers. We believe that inflexible programmers with obese, declining or overpriced content offerings face being left behind.

MCN:Will NFL Sunday Ticket ever be offered to U-verse TV subscribers?

DY: NFL Sunday Ticket is exclusively available to DirecTV customers via satellite as well as to college, urban and MDU segments via [IP], and it will be for many years. AT&T U-verse customers who want to receive the NFL package can subscribe to DirecTV.