Fox Networks Group is moving toward a deal with Charter Communications, according to FNG president and COO Randy Freer.

Fox began warning Charter subscribers two weeks ago that they could lose the Fox broadcast network, FX, National Geographic and Fox regional sports networks because their distribution deal was expiring.

Since the original deadline the companies have agreed to a series of extensions, and in the past few days Fox has stopped running ads urging viewers to seek alternatives to Charter.

"We're working out the issues," Freer said. As in most negotiations between programmers and distributors, the issues include money and terms.

One of those issues involved Fox News Channel, which sued Charter because the MSO, after acquiring Time Warner Cable, began paying TWC's lower affiliate fees in Charter markets.

Settling that suit may be part of the agreement.

Fox News Channel is on a separate contract from Fox Networks Group, even though both are part of 21st Century Fox.

"We go to market as one company," Freer said ahead of National Geographic's "Further Front" event at Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Fox News's affiliate relations were consolidated into FNG's distribution team last year.

Freer did not say when an agreement would be finalized, noting that big, long-term agreements are extremely complex.

With the launch of its DirecTV Now service just a week away, AT&T said it has reached a carriage agreement with Fox Networks Group for its DirecTV products, including the over-the-top service.

AT&T has announced a launch event for DirecTV Now on Nov. 28. The over-the-top service will offer more than 100 live streaming and on demand content for $35 per month.

According to a statement, Fox programming available to DirecTV Now customers will include: Fox News Channel, Fox Business Network, FX, FXX, FXM, FS 1, FS 2, Big Ten Network, 18 Fox regional sports networks, National Geographic and Nat Geo Wild. The parties have also agreed on a framework for Fox Broadcasting programming to be delivered to DirecTV Now customers nationwide.

“We’re delighted and gratified to team up with DirecTV to offer our brands as part of DirecTV Now,” Fox Networks Group President of Distribution Mike Biard said in a statement. “This agreement demonstrates our commitment to providing viewers with a seamless TV experience across the full range of our leading brands in news, sports and entertainment.”

AT&T DirecTV and U-Verse customers will continue to enjoy Fox broadcast stations, cable and regional sports networks live and on-demand through linear TV, online, and TV Everywhere apps.  DirecTV customers will also have access to 4K content from Fox's marquee sports properties including MLB regular season and playoff games, top college football and basketball games, NASCAR races and FIFA World Cup games.

“The expansion of our relationship with Fox enables AT&T to offer Fox content across our platforms and products,” said AT&T chief content officer Dan York in a statement. “And it’s a big win for our DirecTV Now customers, who will have easy and immediate access to a wide array of Fox programming, including popular national and sports content they can watch virtually anywhere, anytime.”

The Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) Southern California Chapter has announced its 2016 LEA Awardwinners, who will be honored at an awards gala on Nov. 10 at the Taglyan Complex in Hollywood.

Recipients of the prestigious 2016 LEA Awards include:

• Toby Berlin, president, School of Toby
• Del J. Heintz, senior director, state government affairs, Charter Communications Western Region
• Nadya Ichinomiya, director of IT, Television Marketing, Sony Pictures Entertainment
• Donna Thomas, senior vice president, studio sales, Vubiquity
• Erika Nolting, enterprise client executive, Neudesic, and Board Member of the Year

"WICT SoCal is thrilled to continue the tradition of honoring five outstanding individuals who lead by example and inspire us all,” said LEA Awards co-chair Rachel Richman. "This award is all that much more special because WICT SoCal relies on peers in the industry to submit nominations, and the winners are chosen by a committee comprised of past recipients.  It’s truly peer-driven recognition.”

The WICT SoCal LEA Awards are recognized as one of the most well-respected and prestigious events in the Southern California entertainment industry. The event will feature a celebrity Master of Ceremonies, keynote remarks from an industry leader and speeches by each award recipient. WICT SoCal said it expects to draw several hundred cable, programming and technology innovators who will converge to celebrate the recipients for what they have accomplished in their careers and the work they do to support, advocate and develop women leaders in media.

"In the often challenging and ever-changing entertainment industry, WICT is very proud to continue to recognize individuals that stand out and make us all proud to be in this business," said Helene Juceam,president of WICT SoCal.

Fox Networks, Charter Communications and Discovery are the event sponsors. Additional information, including sponsorship availability, can be found at www.socalwict.org. To buy tickets for the 2016 LEA Awards, visit http://leaawards2016rsvp.com.

With 10,000 members nationally, WICT is the oldest and largest professional association serving women in the cable and telecommunications industry.

Comedian and actress Kira Soltanovich will be the emcee and veteran industry executive Bridget Baker, formerly of NBCUniversal and now president of Baker Media, will provide the keynote address at the 2015 LEA Awards, set for Thursday evening (Nov. 12) at the Taglyan Complex in Los Angeles.

The 23rd annual awards gala, presented by the Southern California chapter of Women in Cable & Telecommunications, will honor five industry veterans for their outstanding contributions to the cable telecommunications industry.

A LEA Award is one of the most prestigious honors one can receive in the Southern California entertainment business.

The five honorees are:

Sherry Brennan, Senior Vice President, Distribution, Fox Networks;

Dale Hopkins, Executive Vice President, Distribution, Game Show Network;

Gail Kodama, Senior Sales Director, Charter Communications;

Suzanne Schlundt, Vice President of Marketing — West Region, Cox Communications; and 

Board Member of the Year:Emilio Rangel, Creative Supervisor, Time Warner Cable Media.

Born in the Soviet Union and raised in San Francisco, emcee Kira Soltanovich has hosted her own Showtime comedy special (Here Comes Trouble); was a series regular in Oxygen’s Girls Behaving Badly; and was the recurring voice of “The Photo Booth” on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. She’s also written for series on TV Land and Disney Channel and appears in comedy festivals around the world.

For more information about the event, visit www.socalwict.org.

SHERRY BRENNAN

Senior Vice President, Distribution,Fox Networks

Sherry Brennan is responsible for developing multiplatform growth strategies for FN’s video products, exploring potential new business models with alternative platform distributors, and contributing to FN’s long range digital strategy. She also oversees analysis of video-consumption trends and the changing value equation in the new multiplatform landscape, works closely with FN’s business development team on new channel ideas and acquisitions, and helps manage the strategy behind Fox’s investment in Hulu.

Brennan joined FN in 2005 as vice president of sales strategy and development. In that role, Brennan created strategic sales initiatives with the division’s top video distributors and worked closely with FN’s business-development team on new channel ideas.

Earlier Brennan spent seven years with Cablevision Systems in Bethpage, N.Y., as vice president, PPV and enhanced video products, and as programming consultant for the HDTV satellite service, Voom. Prior to Cablevision, she served as director of operations for Los Angeles’s Falcon Cable TV.

DALE HOPKINS

Executive Vice President, Distribution,GSN

Dale Hopkins has more than 20 years of deep C-level experience — including positions as CEO, chief operating officer and chief marketing officer — with digital and traditional high-growth media conglomerates such as Comcast, BSkyB, Star TV, Liberty Media, DirecTV, Sony and NBC. She has built and managed successful multimillion-dollar digital and traditional media companies with total invested and realized capital of more than $2 billion. These include E!, Style, G4, g4tv.com, eonline.com, GSN, CNBC and iwin.com.

She joined multimedia content provider GSN, owned by Sony and DirecTV, in 2009. As head of distribution, she works closely with the key decision-makers at top satellite and cable companies. Previously, she was executive VP and chief marketing officer for GSN. Prior to GSN, Hopkins served as interim CEO of CGS (Championship Gaming Series), a co-venture of DirecTV, BSkyB and Star TV. She spent seven years (including as COO) at the G4 network. She has also held executive positions at E! Entertainment Television, CNBC and CBS.

GAIL KODAMA

Senior Sales Director,Charter Communications

Gail Kodama serves in the Spectrum Business organization, the business-services unit of cable provider Charter Communications. In her current role, she is responsible for support of sales, operations, and process initiatives for the SMB organization nationally for the SMB space under Charter executive vice president Jon Hargis.

She has been with Charter for more than 10 years, starting out as a sales manager in Southern California in 2005 and then promoted to director for California and then a senior director for the West Region at the cable provider.

She has carried out key roles within the Charter organization, such as supporting the launch of All Digital, launching the Channel Partner Programs and migration of the SMB organization in 2015.

Kodama has been in the telecommunications industry for more than 18 years, starting out by “carrying a bag” as an account manager for a regional CLEC, and advancing to manager and then to regional director.

She continues to mentor and coach key sales people within the Charter organization.

SUZANNE SCHLUNDT

Vice President of Marketing — West,Cox Communications

Suzanne Schlundt’s territory includes San Diego, Orange County, Palos Verdes, Santa Barbara, Arizona and Las Vegas. She is responsible for the field execution of the cable company’s national marketing strategy, as well as the launch of new products and product enhancements.

Schlundt, who joined Cox in December 2012, has more than 20 years of marketing experience in fast-paced, highly competitive consumer industries including the restaurant, consumer product goods and entertainment sectors. Her background includes research, brand strategy, product development and integrated marketing communications.

Earlier, she was vice president of client services for Blueocean Market Intelligence, a global-market research and consulting company. She has also held leadership positions with Disney Consumer Products, Jack-in-the-Box and Mattel. She has a bachelor of arts degree from Occidental College and an MBA from the University of Southern California. She lives in San Diego with her husband, Dave, and two daughters.

EMILIO RANGEL

Creative Supervisor,Time Warner Cable Media

Emilio Rangel never saw the inside of a traditional classroom until he attended college. With his siblings, he was homeschooled by his mother where, at a young age, he discovered his passion in the creative arts. Educated with a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from Thomas Aquinas College, he went on to graduate from California State University, Fullerton with a graduate degree in graphic design.

Throughout his nine years at Time Warner Cable Media, Rangel has proven to be an integral member of the corporate marketing team as creative supervisor. He spends his days working with his team on the TWC Media brand within projects that span from print, on-air, digital, social media, and events. He manages the brand in 46 markets.

His experience expands beyond the media and marketing world; he also wored a professional wedding cake decorator while in his early 20s. He resides in Belmont Shore, Calif., where he can be found enjoying a run along the beach, freeing space on his DVR, or traveling to an adventurous place.

Fox Networks said Benjamin (BJ) Elias has been promoted to senior vice president, distribution, continuing to report to distribution president Michael Biard.

Elias joined Fox in 2010 and previously served as vice president, distribution, advanced services for Fox Networks. He is responsible for leading the division’s distribution of new media products and services, including authenticated video (commonly known as TV everywhere) via websites and mobile apps, over-the-top television (OTT), video-on-demand (VOD) and interactive television, Fox said.

Elias played a key role in expanding the distribution of Fox Networks’ suite of TV everywhere apps and websites, including FOX NOW, FXNOW, FOX Sports GO, Nat Geo TV and BTN2GO. He is a key driver in negotiations with major cable, satellite, and telco affiliates and has emerged as a leader in working through increasingly complex issues with the television stations affiliated with Fox Broadcasting.

“BJ has developed into a tremendous executive who has demonstrated a unique talent for navigating the continually shifting video distribution landscape,” Biard said in a release. “His experience in managing the distribution of our emerging products from conception to ubiquitous availability is testament to his technical skill and business acumen. We will continue to rely on BJ to help us maximize our ever-increasing opportunities in this space, and I am delighted he will continue to be a critical member of our senior team.”

Before joining Fox Networks in 2010, Elias served as director of strategy and business development at A+E Networks. He has also held business development positions with Sezmi, Yahoo! and CBS.

Fox Networks said a new sweepstakes promotion, supporting its TV-everywhere apps and awareness of TVE services overall, will offer participating viewers a change to win $25,000.

The “Stream It and Dream It Sweepstakes” will promote such streaming apps as FOX NOW, FXNOW, Nat Geo TV, BTN2Go, and FOX Sports GO, which let pay-TV subscribers have access to TV programming on mobile devices and computers, via affiliation agreements between Fox and multichannel video providers.

“In addition to the tremendous support of our distribution partners, the ‘Stream It and Dream It’ promotion will be bolstered by the promotional power of the Fox portfolio of networks,” Jamia Bigalow, Senior Vice President, Distribution Marketing, Fox Networks, said in a release. “With the cross platform support of FOX Broadcasting, FX Networks, FOX Sports 1, BTN (Big Ten Network), regional sports networks, the National Geographic Channel and Nat Geo WILD, the campaign will reach north of 100 million pay-TV homes.”

During the two-week window of the promotion, viewers are able to sign in to any of the five Fox Networks apps, authenticate using their pay-TV provider user ID and password, and watch some of Fox’s most popular hit programming and marquee sporting events, the programmer said. Fox said it is providing a tool on StreamItandDreamIt.com that links directly to pay-TV providers to secure personal ID and password information.

But anyone who is interested in sampling, whether or not they have sign-in credentials from affiliated providers, will be able to access the content using a two-hour temporary pass.

The content will also include a promotion code that can be entered at StreamItandDreamIt.com for a chance to win $25,000.

Fox touted the availability of this content during the promo window: New Girl, The Mindy Project, Brooklyn Nine Nine, and Gotham on FOX NOW; Sons of Anarchy, American Horror Story and The League on FXNOW; The Incredible Dr. Pol, Wicked Tuna: North vs. South, Life Below Zero: The Thaw and Live Free or Die on Nat Geo TV; NFL, College Football, College Basketball, and UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs Manuwa on FOX Sports Go; and college football, basketball, ice hockey and volleyball on BTN2Go.

CTAM CEO John Lansing said in the release: "A study from HUB Research earlier this year, commissioned by Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM), indicates more than half of pay-TV subscribers are unaware of the features and capabilities of TV everywhere, and nearly 60% have never taken advantage of the  service, which is provided at no additional cost. Yet viewers who watch TV on non-linear devices feel the value of their cable subscription is significantly higher. The ‘Stream It and Dream It’ promotion will amplify an industry-wide collaboration to increase awareness of TV Everywhere among consumers, and encourage them to simply sign in and enjoy watching TV on the device of their choosing.”

Fox Networks, part of Fox Networks Group, includes 44 owned-and-operated and joint venture TV networks, video on demand and other media platforms.