Fox Networks Group has named Brian Sullivan president and chief operating officer, assuming the role vacated when former FNG COO Randy Freer was tapped to head OTT service Hulu last month.

Sullivan will directly oversee revenue and distribution for the Fox Television Group, FX, Fox Sports and National Geographic Partners. He will also continue to lead FNG’s Digital Consumer Group which is responsible for its authenticated streaming apps. He will report to Fox Networks Group chairman and CEO and 21st Century Fox president Peter Rice. 

Freer was named CEO of Hulu – which is 30% owned by FNG parent 21st Century Fox – last month after then-CEO Michael Hopkins resigned to become chairman of Sony Pictures Television.

“Brian is an incredibly talented executive and has been instrumental in leading the direct to consumer efforts across our brands,” Rice said in a statement. “Brian’s track record at Sky and his proven expertise in building digital video consumer products has made him an invaluable part of our senior leadership team, and I look forward to working with him to continue to focus and operationalize our revenue, distribution and D2C efforts.”

Sullivan has been president and COO of Fox Networks’ Digital Consumer Group since 2015 leading digital strategy for all the group’s network brands and authenticated streaming products.

Sullivan began his career working at Showtime Networks, then moved to FNG parent 21st Century Fox’s satellite unit Sky in the U.K. and Germany. He held several roles at Sky U.K., eventually becoming managing director of its Customer Group, and was instrumental in the creation of Sky Digital, Sky+, Sky HD and Sky Broadband. In Germany, Sullivan was CEO of Sky Deutschland, and his team was responsible for turning around the operation and his team turned around the operation, launching several products, including live sport/entertainment streaming service Sky Go.

“Fox Networks Group’s exceptional portfolio of brands continues to have an unrivalled reach and influence around the world at a time of dramatic transformation for our industry,” Sullivan said in a statement. “I look forward to my expanded role as I continue working with FNG’s leadership to grow our business and drive consumer choice in the emerging TV ecosystem.”

As a result of Sullivan’s appointment, Michael Biard, president, Distribution, and Joe Marchese, president, Ad Revenue, will now report to him. At the same time, the advertising revenue group is being reorganized and Danielle Maged, executive vice president, Global Solutions, will now report to Marchese. FNG Europe and Africa president Jan Koeppen and FNG Latin America president Carlos Martinez will report jointly to Sullivan and Rice.

Fox Networks Group has begun selling advertising in the video-on-demand content from its channels that is addressable on an individual household basis through Comcast Cable set-top boxes and streaming via Hulu.

TV networks are looking for ways to create innovations in advertising that can increase its value in an increasingly digital age. Fox has already been selling precision audience targeted ads on its linear network with its AIM solution. It is also a partner in Open AP, which is attempting to standardize selling ads based on specific audience targets rather than the traditional broad age and sex base demographic groups.

Comcast Cable has done addressable ad campaigns using dynamic ad insertion technology with its corporate sibling NBCUniversal.

Working with Fox is part of a trial program to see how the distributor can work with programmers on addressable advertising. A source indicated that Comcast is conducting addressable trials with another, unnamed, network group.

Both Fox and Comcast use Freewheel, a division of Comcast, to handle ad insertions.

Fox’s addressable effort is unique because in addition to working with Comcast’s subscribers, it can also offer viewers streaming on-demand programming from Fox Networks including Fox Broadcasting, FX, National Geographic and Fox Sports via Hulu.

Noah Levine, senior VP, advertising data & technology solution at Fox Network Group says that between Comcast and Hulu and its advertising clients more than 10 million households on an addressable basis.

Levine was expected to announce Fox’s new addressable advertising effort at the B&C/Multichannel News Next TV Summit in New York Wednesday (Oct. 18), part of NYC Television Week.

Read More: Complete Coverage of NYC Television Week

“Our strategy is to continue selling to linear buyer through Fox AIM linear,” Levine said. “Now we can also work with the addressable buyers to pursue the addressable opportunity.” Fox is looking to add cross-platform precision audience targeting.

“Our goal is to be able to provide audience targeting across our very wide portfolio of content regardless of the distribution modality,” Levine said.

Read More: Complete Coverage of the Next TV Summit

In addition to working with NBCU, Comcast’s local systems sell addressable ad campaigns to local advertisers.

“We think it’s really important that TV advertising becomes more sophisticated and this VOD trial is one way networks can unify their audiences and marketers reach their targets,” said Marcien Jenckes, president of advertising at Comcast.

With on-demand programming and steaming, Levine said the Fox’s addressable advertising can reach audiences that may not be watching linear.

He noted that addressable would be great for a financial advertisers that uses linear advertising to promote its brand but targets viewers of a different income and lifestyles for particular financial products.

Read More: Complete Coverage of the Advanced Advertising Event

Levine said Fox’s addressable solution is different than what most cable or satellite operators can offer because it can be overlaid with precision targeted programming on the Fox networks, which reach all of the markets in the country.

“That’s national scale,” he says. In addition, Fox has all of its national inventory while distributors only have access to two minute per hour.

That should make the Fox offering attractive to national advertisers.

“By combining addressable components with the linear components, we’ll be able to come up with very acceptable CPM ranges,” Levine said. He added that with addressable advertising, Fox benefits financially because there is very little waste once it and the advertisers have agreed on a data set and reporting method.

Addressable advertising is also good for viewers. “It allows is to provide more relevant advertising that s potential more interesting to the audience,” he said.

21st Century Fox said it has promoted Peter Rice to president of the media company.

Rice will continue to serve as chairman and CEO of the Fox Networks Group, which means he oversees Fox Broadcasting, Fox Sports, FX Networks National Geographic, 20th Century Fox Television and the Fox Networks Groups in Latin America, Europe and Asia.

The move makes Rice the most senior executive outside of the Murdoch family since Chase Carey.

“As part of our ongoing work to evolve and expand the 21CF leadership structure, we’re pleased to name Peter to this newly created position, CEO James Murdoch and executive chairman Lachlan Murdoch said in a statement.

“Peter has driven exceptional growth at Fox Networks Group during a time of real transformational change in the business, expanding our audiences and innovating new distribution models, from which the Company, our shareholders and our customers have benefited greatly. Peter’s impact on the business is immense and we are incredibly fortunate to have him with us in this expanded role during this exciting next chapter of the Company,” the Murdochs said.

Stacey Snider, chair and CEO of 20th Century Fox Film, will continue to report directly to Lachlan and James Murdoch. Fox News Channel will continue to report directly to Rupert Murdoch, Executive Chairman of 21st Century Fox, and Executive Chairman of Fox News Channel.

Related: Fox News Continues to Dominate Cable Ratings Charts

Before being named as head of Fox Networks Group, Rice was chairman entertainment for Fox Network Group. Prior to that he was president of Fox Searchlight Pictures and executive VP production for Twentieth Century Fox.

Fox Networks Group Asia and CBS Corp. have signed a content licensing and trademark agreement that will bring the Showtime brand to Southeast Asia, Taiwan and Hong Kong for the first time.

Viewers of Fox Networks Group Asia networks will be able to see new Showtime series Twin Peaks, I’m Dying Up Here and SMILF, as well as hundreds of hours of library content, the companies said. The deal also includes on-demand access to series including Ray Donovan, Californication and Dexter.

Financial terms were not disclosed. Other markets covered include Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines and Thailand.

“This partnership with CBS Corporation not only cements our position as market-leader in Asia Pacific for scripted series, but it also demonstrates our commitment to providing world-class content and the best of entertainment to our viewers,” said Keertan Adyanthaya, executive vice president, content and communications, Fox Networks Group Asia. “Showtime is one of TV’s most exciting brands, and we are excited to be able to offer our viewers access to its slate of premium TV, including upcoming new dramas and past award-winning scripted series on the platform of their choice, when they want and where they want.”

Fox recently launched the Fox+ app in the Philippines and Singapore. The Showtime agreement means users of the app will have access to more content.

"This agreement further demonstrates the global demand for premium, critically-acclaimed content produced by Showtime,” said Armando Nunez, president of CEO of CBS Studios International.

Sherry Brennan is the first to tell you about how many women at Fox Networks are “far more technical” than she is. But as Multichannel News’s choice for Woman of Tech in the Programmer category, it’s her rare and appreciable blend of industrial memory and technology communication that sets her apart

It’s perhaps not surprising that she counts the venerable and notoriously straight-to-the-point Wilt Hildenbrand (former CTO of Cablevision Systems) as the teacher who showed her how to navigate the seas of tech-talk. Along a 27-year (and counting) career, Brennan invented a way to automate royalty fees using then-new database techniques; helped launch Cablevision’s video-on-demand service; and today, negotiates beyond the “known” waters of linear licensing on deals far more technical in reach and in scope. As a frequent speaker at industry events, Brennan is consistently direct, clever, and accurate — whether the topic is headend IRD authorization, proposed FCC set top box rules, advanced advertising or the over-the-top video scene. She spoke with MCN technology correspondent Leslie Ellis.

More WoT: Brennan is one of five execs selected for MCN's 2016 Women of Tech list; read about the others in Setting the Pace for Innovation [subscription required] and watch for a daily profile of each Sept. 26-30at multichannel.com/WomenOfTech.

MCN: What did you want to be when you grew up?

Sherry Brennan: The first female president of the United States, a surgeon, a physicist and a writer. We didn’t have a TV, so I had no idea about careers in television until after grad school.

MCN: First job? First job in cable?

SB: My very first job was collecting tickets and turning on and off the “kiddie rides” at my grandparents’ amusement park in Iowa City. I was 10. The liability issues make me shudder, looking back on it now … but nothing bad happened on my watch!

First job in cable was with Falcon Cable TV in 1989, working for the COO, Frank Intiso. I went from budget data entry to creating their first licensee-fee payment and channel-lineup databases. Somewhere in there, I helped figure out how to restructure our tiering so we didn’t take a financial hit with the Cable Act regulations in ’92 and ’93.

Frank set me up with a private tutor to learn how to write macros in so I could try running various scenarios, and ultimately automate how the required forms were populated. We had nearly 1,000 different systems in about 40 states, and each scenario used half a box of continuous-roll paper — sometimes I’d come in at 8 a.m. to find it unspooled and out the printer room door (yes, we had whole rooms for printing back then). I dreamed in numbers and rate change structures for months!

MCN: What’s on top of your to-do list these days?

SB: The opportunities for taking our content, and new forms of our content, to a variety of traditional and emerging platforms. It’s so interesting to see how different companies view the business — from small startups to huge companies, there are dozens of people wanting to get into our business. When I hear people say “TV is dead,” I just laugh. Who knew a “dead” business could generate so much activity? The deals are challenging and circuitous, and I can’t wait to see how incumbents and new entrants change our business over the next few years.

MCN: When and where are you happiest?

SB: When my son is happy, and also when I’m outdoors. Cooking and eating with family and friends is high on the list, too.

MCN: Most important quality for women to possess?

SB: Confidence married to competence, as my friend Grace Killelea would say it (in her fabulous book, The Confidence Effect). You’ve simply got to be able to speak up, in a cheerfully confident — and accurate — way, or you’ll be relegated to the back row forever.

MCN: What technology word drives you batty?

SB: “Skinny bundles.” Don’t people realize that “broadcast basic” is the original “skinny bundle,” and it’s been around forever?

MCN: What do you like to do when you’re not at work?

SB: Spend time with my son, read, and take long walks by the ocean. I also like cooking “homey” foods — lasagna, soup, chicken cutlets — while watching PBS mysteries on my DVR. And baking pies: Apple pie, pear-cranberry tarte tatin, chicken pot pie with whole wheat crust … yes, you’re invited!

MCN: Best or worst advice you’ve ever received?

SB: My dad told me that if I worked hard, I could achieve anything. He encouraged me to be smart, to strive for my goals, and to go to college, which he hadn’t had the opportunity to do. Without that formative vote of confidence, I’m not sure any other advice would’ve mattered. Thanks, Dad!

MCN: Favorite book of all time?

SB:Dr. Zhivago Drove the Bus to Chicago because it’s the book I learned to read with — all in one very long day (for my mom). I was 4 years old, determined, and on my own timeframe. Foreshadowing my entire adult life!

MCN: Favorite gadget or app?

SB: Instacart. No more “bad mommy” moments, when I get home late and realize there’s no milk, no toilet paper, and nothing to put in my son’s lunch for the next day. Yes, I’ve been known to order milk and bread for delivery at 9 p.m.

As the SCTE/ISBE Cable-Tec Expo gets rolling in Philadelphia this week, it’s apropos for Multichannel News to shine a spotlight on its annual group of women in technology-oriented roles at companies that are helping to define the industry’s next generation of products and services. This year, we recognize individuals in five categories for leading the technology charge for cable operators, programmers and key industry suppliers.

Get more Women of Tech coverage.

MVPD, National

Kim Keever

Vice President, Chief Information Security Officer, Cox Communications

From Beverages to Broadband

Kim Keever loved her job as chief information security officer at The Coca-Cola Co.’s bottling operation. She loved it so much that when Cox came calling in the summer of 2014, she was friendly, but insistent: It just wasn’t going to happen.

Now, as vice president and chief information security officer for the Atlanta-based service provider, she cringes at the memory, commending Cox as the “best employer I’ve ever had.”

In her role overseeing companywide security and all “cross-technology” functions (which she defines as “anything everyone has to do”), Keever deals with a much higher and more complex threat profile than with the famous beverage. There, it was more about protecting the brand from “hacktivists”; at Cox, it’s about protecting much more sensitive information, across multiple (and often shifting) platforms.

— Leslie Ellis

Read a longer version of this Q&A here.

Multichannel News:What did you want to be when you grew up?

Kim Keever: I didn’t know exactly, but I knew that scientific things interested me. I was one of those kids — I drove my mother crazy; I drive my husband and my kids crazy — I want to know how and why things work. This summer, my son was in a baseball tournament, and we’re driving by these big, smokestack reactors, and I say, “Let’s go look!” My kids were like, “OMG, Mom. Stop it.”

MCN:First job?

KK: My first real job was at Accenture. I had studied chemical engineering and industrial management (at Georgia Tech), but I wasn’t sure exactly what industry was right. There, I could experiment with different things. My very first job was at an ice cream store. I got fired because I wouldn’t serve hollow ice cream balls just to save money. I think of it as kind of a prelude.

MCN:What’s on top of your to-do list these days?

KK: At work, it’s driving the cybersecurity agenda, as well as the governance process of our cross-technology functions. At home, my to-do list is to manage all of my kids — I have a son, 16, a daughter, 15, and another daughter, 12. So, getting one to baseball, one to volleyball, one to the horse stables.

MCN:When and where are you happiest?

KK: This is a hard one, because as corny as it sounds, I believe that it’s everyone’s choice to be happy or not. I tell my kids this all the time: It’s your decision, whether you’re negative, or positive. I tell them: Figure out what makes you happy, and do whatever that is.

MCN:Most important quality for women to possess?

KK: Self-confidence. In this kind of job, I see it all — the dirty stuff, the bad stuff — and I’m often the only woman in the room. It doesn’t faze me. Also, I’m not sure if this characteristic has a name, but I realized early on that if you find something nobody else wants to do, and you do it well and you like doing it? That works regardless of gender.

MCN:What technology word drives you batty?

KK: “Hackathon.” It doesn’t say what it is. To me, a hack means you’re a bad person who wants to break things. What we call “hackathons” are really more like fun things for people to do. They’re not about breaking anything.

MCN:Best or worst advice you’ve ever received?

KK: Worst was, a woman once told me that if I wanted people to take me seriously, I had to cut my hair!

MCN:Favorite gadget or app?

KK: I love Waze. I’m not directionally challenged, but it gets you around all the traffic. That’s important here in Atlanta!

MVPD, Regional

Kalpa Subramanian

Vice President, Engineering, Comcast Cable, California

Born to Be an Engineer

Mathematics and technology were a perfect pairing for Kalpa Subramanian, who has been key in injecting culture and collaboration for an organization of more than 300 people at Comcast’s California operations. In addition to earlier work focused on voice, data and video traffic for residential and commercial customers in that region, she has been a primary leader and contributor in several other key tech and product areas, including the operator’s implementation of IP Multimedia Subsystems, DOCSIS 3.0/3.1, Xfinity Home, and Xfinity WiFi, to name but a few. She also invests valuable time and guidance as a mentor to others in the organization looking to learn and continue to grow.

— Jeff Baumgartner

Read a longer version of this Q&A here.

MCN:What spawned your interest in technology?

Kalpa Subramanian: My mom is a math teacher, so at dinnertime, our favorite thing to talk about around the table would be solving math problems. As an end result, I was always good at math and science. It was in my destiny to go down the engineering route. But when I did my undergrad, in India, the first few days were a little bit of a reality check with the few number of women who go into engineering school and graduate with an engineering degree.

Coming out of it, I was focused on the field of computing and field of technology and the field of instrumentation and networking. It was kind of organic to go into the technology space, which, in the late 1990s and the early 2000s, was the start of the boom period for technology.

By the time I was 25, I had already lived and worked in five different countries, so it gave me an understanding that languages might be different and cultures might be different, but humanity is the same and technology is the same. That kind of became a uniting factor.

MCN:How did you break into the cable industry?

KS: Out of college, one of my first jobs was at a networking-type of a company, Microtech-Tel. I’m dating myself here, but back then voice-over-IP was the newest, coolest thing. As I started getting more into the professional-type world, I found that I had a knack for leading people and organizing them toward a commonly shared goal. Comcast had this huge opportunity when we were migrating our telephone system back in Colorado. That was when I came on board.

Back in the day, Charlotte Field [formerly of Comcast and now with Charter Communications], who was a senior vice president in that organization, was one of the early folks who had taken me under her wing. I have had countless other folks who have supported and guided me along the way, one of the most prominent being Shane Portfolio, who leads Comcast’s West Division Engineering.

MCN:What’s your focus now?

KS: The highest priority is our customers — getting our customers the most reliable service that they can depend on and rely on. At the end of the day, that holistic experience is what we want to deliver. And happy customers are possible by happy employees. Employee well-being is a top-priority. I spend a lot of my [time] working on strategies for employee growth and morale.

In Colorado, we started a mentoring committee and group called QCII to Success [QCII is a reference to a Comcast facility in Greenwood Village]. The primary goal was to take engineers, front-line folks, who are really good at their job but need a little bit of advice and mentoring …

Here [in California] mentoring is still important to me … so I joined the [Women In Cable & Telecommunications] board and helped with their programs to help the newer women coming in or those who have entered the workforce that are looking for options and paths to climb up the career ladder.

For women, there’s a lot of competition and there’s a voice in our heads — and this happens to me as well — that questions and digs at their confidence a little bit. I help women talk through quelling that voice and getting their inner confidence out.

MCN:What tech term or jargon drives you nuts?

KS: Having been a coder before, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, RAD [Rapid Application Development] used to be a term that referred to the programming language. Now, when people say something is “rad,” it takes me back to the coding days, but that’s not where that acronym came from!

MCN:What’s your favorite gadget or app?

KS: My favorite app for the past few years is called the SBT — the Stop, Breathe & Think app. In the San Francisco area, one of the well-being movements is being self-aware and searching inside oneself. After having been through some classes and lectures, the concept of focus by reflection and meditation has really sunk in. My way of reflection is putting on some headphones and walking around the block, and the Stop, Breathe and Think app is just a cool, fun app to make you mindful … and get your brain wired to take on the day with this newfound energy and focus.

Programmer

Sherry Brennan

Senior Vice President, Distribution, Fox Networks Group

Fox’s Technology Bridge

Sherry Brennan is the first to tell you about how many women at Fox Networks are “far more technical” than she is. But as Multichannel News’s choice for Woman of Tech in the Programmer category, it’s her rare and appreciable blend of industrial memory and technology communication that sets her apart.

It’s perhaps not surprising that she counts the venerable and notoriously straight-to-the-point Wilt Hildenbrand (former CTO of Cablevision Systems) as the teacher who showed her how to navigate the seas of tech-talk. Along a 27-year (and counting) career, Brennan invented a way to automate royalty fees using then-new database techniques; helped launch Cablevision’s video-on-demand service; and today, negotiates beyond the “known” waters of linear licensing on deals far more technical in reach and in scope. As a frequent speaker at industry events, Brennan is consistently direct, clever, and accurate — whether the topic is headend IRD authorization, proposed FCC set-top box rules, advanced advertising or the over-the-top video scene.

— Leslie Ellis

MCN:What did you want to be when you grew up?

Sherry Brennan: The first female president of the United States, a surgeon, a physicist and a writer. We didn’t have a TV, so I had no idea about careers in television until after grad school.

MCN:First job? First job in cable?

SB: My very first job was collecting tickets and turning on and off the “kiddie rides” at my grandparents’ amusement park in Iowa City. I was 10. The liability issues make me shudder, looking back on it now … but nothing bad happened on my watch!

First job in cable was with Falcon Cable TV in 1989, working for the COO, Frank Intiso. I went from budget data entry to creating their first licensee-fee payment and channel-lineup databases. Somewhere in there, I helped figure out how to restructure our tiering so we didn’t take a financial hit with the Cable Act regulations in ’92 and ’93.

Frank set me up with a private tutor to learn how to write macros so I could try running various scenarios, and ultimately automate how the required forms were populated. We had nearly 1,000 different systems in about 40 states, and each scenario used half a box of continuous-roll paper — sometimes I’d come in at 8 a.m. to find it unspooled and out the printer room door (yes, we had whole rooms for printing back then). I dreamed in numbers and rate change structures for months!

MCN:What’s on top of your to-do list these days?

SB: The opportunities for taking our content, and new forms of our content, to a variety of traditional and emerging platforms. It’s so interesting to see how different companies view the business — from small startups to huge companies, there are dozens of people wanting to get into our business. When I hear people say, “TV is dead,” I just laugh. Who knew a “dead” business could generate so much activity?

MCN:Most important quality for women to possess?

SB: Confidence married to competence, as my friend Grace Killelea would say it (in her fabulous book, The Confidence Effect). You’ve simply got to be able to speak up, in a cheerfully confident — and accurate — way, or you’ll be relegated to the back row forever.

MCN:What technology word drives you batty?

SB: “Skinny bundles.” Don’t people realize that “broadcast basic” is the original “skinny bundle,” and it’s been around forever?

MCN:Best or worst advice you’ve ever received?

SB: My dad told me that if I worked hard, I could achieve anything. He encouraged me to be smart, to strive for my goals, and to go to college, which he hadn’t had the opportunity to do. Without that formative vote of confidence, I’m not sure any other advice would’ve mattered. Thanks, Dad!

MCN:Favorite gadget or app?

SB: Instacart. No more “bad mommy” moments, when I get home late and realize there’s no milk, no toilet paper, and nothing to put in my son’s lunch for the next day. Yes, I’ve been known to order milk and bread for delivery at 9 p.m.

Vendor/Supplier

Kathy Weidman

Senior Vice President/General Manager, Metadata, TiVo

Metadata Maven

Kathy Weidman loves metadata. She’s loved metadata for as long as she can remember, in fact, and almost fastidiously planned her 30-plus year career around it — including her move to Rovi (now TiVo) two years ago. It all started in the post-production landscape, working for Avid, where she saw how inextricably data is wound into production workflows. It struck her as the pipeline for content discovery.

These days, Weidman is mapping out TiVo’s development of what she calls “super-powered metadata,” which blends its “knowledge graph” with machine learning, to make metadata more searchable, semantic, and relevant. She’s a frequent speaker at industry events — she opened a “Metadata Madness” conference earlier this year — and says that a goal is to spend more time as an industry spokesperson on the topic of … you guessed it … metadata.

— Leslie Ellis

MCN:What did you want to be when you grew up?

Kathy Weidman: A psychologist, at first, and then an economist. I studied both in college, as well as English. It turned out to be great training for the world of media, which is somewhere in between.

MCN:First job?

KW: First jobs were babysitting and waitressing, starting when I was 15. First job in cable was RedBee (now Ericsson), in Europe. I was managing director for content discovery — I managed the content discovery business including metadata and search and recommendations.

MCN:What’s on top of your to-do list these days?

KW: Right now, I’m working on a five-year plan about the future of metadata. It’s not what people think it is. The world will change. We have to change, to grow. Metadata will be virtual, with machine learning concepts. That’s really high on my list.

MCN:Most important quality for women in tech to possess?

KW: I do think you have to be tough. By that I mean fortitude and determination and passion. I think it’s also important to understand people and what motivates them. If you have a team of people who are happy doing what they’re doing, and love coming to work, you get 120% from them. So, develop a team that’s really passionate.

MCN:What do you like to do when you’re not at work?

KW: You’ll laugh, but I watch TV guides. I’m always looking for new ideas and thoughts. My husband complains, “Are we ever going to actually watch anything, or just look at the guide?” I also love to read, write, walk, and spend time with family [two sons and a daughter] doing high-energy things … we are passionate about life in general, and like to be active.

MCN:Best or worst advice you’ve ever received?

KW: Worst was, very early on, someone told me that I should use my “womanhood” to get ahead. I ignored it. Best was from my dad, who was a big believer in having fun at work. I take it to heart. We work super-hard here, but we play, too. Someday remind me to tell you about the April Fools’ joke we pulled off this year.

MCN:Favorite gadget or app?

KW: Uber, hands down. It’s changed the world in so many ways.

Rising Star

April Smith

Technology Project Manager, Cox Communications

A Passion for Learning

As a participant in Cox’s LEAD program, April Smith gets an opportunity to rotate within the company to learn and contribute to a variety of initiatives in the role of project manager. That’s a great fit for an industry up-and-comer with an insatiable passion for learning and for the technologies that are driving cable forward, including TV Everywhere to the new multi-Gigabit DOCSIS 3.1 platform. She is also active with industry organizations, including the National Association of Multi-Ethnicity in Communications and Women in Cable & Telecommunications chapters in Atlanta. Smith’s ability to learn and excel in a job that requires discipline and desire and a go-get-’em attitude, while engaging with the larger industry and still living a dynamic life outside of work make her Multichannel News’s pick for Tech Woman of the Year in the Rising Star category.

— Jeff Baumgartner

MCN:What sparked your interest in the cable industry?

April Smith: I knew I wanted to be in the TV industry in some shape or form, I just didn’t know in what capacity. Prior to starting college, I felt there was a lack of representation of African-Americans on TV, and I wanted to be part of the conversation to encourage more diversity on screen.

I majored in Arts, Entertainment and Media Management with a minor in Television. My goal was to become a leader who influences key business decisions. I knew revenue would be a key driver, so I started working in advertising sales for HGTV and DIY networks.

MCN:What are your current priorities at Cox?

AS: I just wrapped up one of my first project rotations, working on TV Everywhere for Cox video customers. I recently launched a major enhancement to the company’s new Contour app. For the first time, Cox’s customers have the opportunity to watch linear programs outside of the home directly via the Contour app, available across Cox’s entire video subscriber base [estimated at 4 million].

I’ve just started a new rotation as a project manager in customer operations. I am serving on two Cox initiatives. The first is the Cox telephony initiative, which requires migrating 400,000 Cox voice customers from CS [circuit-switched] to PS [packet-switched] technology by the end of 2018; the goal is to ultimately migrate customers to an enhanced digital offering and provide a better service to our customers.

The second project is a network-transformation initiative, DOCSIS 3.1. I’m looking at this project from the customer operations perspective. [I’m focused] on how this transformation will impact our sales, field services, customer care and marketing divisions and how we ensure all of these groups are aligned as we move forward with this initiative.

MCN:Do you have any advice for women who are trying to break into this industry?

AS: Be comfortable being uncomfortable. There are so many complexities to technology. Everyone is learning at the same time. If you’re in a business or an area you know really well — say, if you’re in marketing — you know marketing in and out. But when it comes to technology, there are new devices that are coming out, new offerings, new regulations and laws. You have to continually learn and be up to speed … and be able to share [those learnings] with executives or someone on your team to help them understand it from a simplistic point of view.

MCN:What’s your favorite app or gizmo these days?

AS: My favorite app has to be the new Contour app … since I helped launch it. [Laughs.] There’s no other app to think about right now.

Audrey Steele and Suzanne Sullivan have been promoted at the advertising sales unit of Fox Networks Group.

Sullivan was named executive VP, entertainment sales, responsible for strategy and execution of cross-network multiplatform sales. She had been senior vice president, Fox Networks Group Sales.

Steele becomes executive VP, sales research insights and strategy. She was previously senior VP, sales research and marketing for Fox Broadcasting and helped develop Fox’s AIM targeting tools.

Toby Byrne, president of ad sales for Fox Network Group, said both executives “possess the unique skill set of leadership coupled with analytic and strategic thinking.”

Read more at broadcastingcable.com.

Fox Networks Group said it has named executive vice president of business operations and development Ravi Ahuja as chief financial officer, replacing retiring CFO Del Mayberry who is leaving the company after three decades.

“Del has played an integral role in driving the success of Fox Networks Group and has contributed to the incredible growth of FNG’s television brands at a time of exponential global expansion. We thank Del for his many lasting contributions to the company and will miss him greatly,” said Fox Networks Group chairman and CEO Peter Rice in a statement.

Mayberry joined Fox in 1983 and was named senior vice president and CFO for Fox Broadcasting Company in 1998.   He was promoted to EVP and CFO for the Fox Networks Group in 2002.

 “We are deeply grateful for Del’s advice and counsel over his long tenure at Fox and wish him every success in the future,” FNG chief operating officer Randy Freer said in a statement. “Del leaves very big shoes to fill but Ravi is ideally suited to his new role. He has done an exceptional job running our business development and has a proven track record in financial management and corporate strategy that perfectly fits the needs of our television portfolio at a time of seismic change for our industry.”

As CFO, Ahuja will have direct management of finance and accounting and will continue to oversee business development for all FNG business units: Fox Broadcasting Company; Fox Cable Networks, including FX Networks; Fox Sports Media Group, and National Geographic Partners; and Fox Networks Group Europe, Asia and Latin America. He will report to Rice and Freer and work closely with 21st Century Fox CFO John Nallen.

"During a time of real transformation in the television business, Ravi has demonstrated extraordinary strategic insight on the many opportunities we have explored,” Rice continued in his statement. “He has shepherded much of our successful M&A activity, especially in the non-linear space, and he is an ideal fit for this position.”

Some of those deals included the  formation of National Geographic Partners, the YES Network and Sports Time Ohio RSN transactions and the planning and formulation of Fox Networks’ new channel strategy. Ahuja’s group is also active in new technology initiatives including Hulu and other streaming services.

Prior to Fox, Ahuja was CFO of  Virgin Entertainment Group and previously was an associate at McKinsey & Company in New York and Los Angeles. He is currently on the boards of Roku and YES Network and has also served on the LA Mayor’s Council on Innovation and Industry.

21st Century Fox is seeking to cut $250 million in expenses this year and is looking to employees for voluntary buyouts and greater cost efficiencies.

In a memo to employees Monday, Fox Networks Group CEO Peter Rice said the company needs to "adjust, adapt, and organize for the future," adding that the company will be "undertaking some structural changes, increasing investment in some parts of the company while making cost reductions in other areas."

In the past 18 months Fox has reorganized Fox Sports; expanded FX Networks and combined its ad sales teams;  created National Geographic Partners; and, most recently, restructuring its international channels.

"As the next step in this reorganization, colleagues who fit a specific set of criteria will be offered a generous benefit package if they decide to voluntarily resign from the company, effective May 23, 2016," Rice wrote in the memo. "Colleagues who are eligible for this offer will receive a confidential email in the next few hours with specific terms and benefits. Again, the program is completely voluntary."

Just how many employees will be affected remains to be seen but reports suggest that the reductions are not expected to be heavy. Other programmers have weathered staff reductions to cut costs in the wake of ad revenue declines and ratings pressures, including Viacom and Time Warner's Turner Networks.

The Big Ten Network is looking forward to football season.

After a few years in which the conference’s best teams were question marks, last season ended with an exclamation point as Ohio State won the first college football playoff to become national champions.

Instead of simply counting the days until kickoff, Big Ten Network — a joint venture between the conference and Fox Networks Group — is launching a new original show Wednesday night (Aug. 19) that takes advantage of its access to the Buckeyes.

Scarlet and Gray Days: Inside Ohio State Training Camp sounds a bit like HBO’s popular Hard Knocks series that brings its camera to an NFL team’s training camp each preseason. The series is narrated by actor J.K. Simmons, who won the 2015 Oscar for his supporting role in Whiplash. Simmons is an Ohio native, a Buckeye fan, and attended Ohio State.

“Over our nearly eight-year history, BTN has consistently demonstrated an ability to tell the story of our conference, schools and athletes via original programming,” BTN president Mark Silverman said. “As a testament to our track record, Ohio State is trusting us to do just that as the Buckeyes embark on yet another potentially historic season.”

The series should offer some drama. Coach Urban Meyer needs to pick a quarterback in campaign before defending its title. And the team will face a challenge from Jim Harbaugh, who left the San Francisco 49ers to coach Ohio State’s archrival, Michigan.

Read more at broadcastingcable.com.

Prolific producer Scott Rudin has signed a three-year first-look deal with Fox Networks Group.

The three-year deal will see Rudin and his Scott Rudin Productions develop projects for cablers FX and National Geographic and the Fox broadcast network. Projects developed for FX Networks and National Geographic Channel will be produced by FX Productions, while those developed for Fox will be produced by Twentieth Century Fox Television.

“Scott is an extraordinary creative producer, and we are thrilled he is choosing to bring his unique passion for storytelling and storytellers to Fox's unique portfolio of studios and channels,” said Peter Rice, chairman & CEO of Fox Networks Group.

Known predominantly for his films, including Ex Machina, Top Five, Inherent Vice, Captain Phillips and The Grand Budapest Hotel, Rudin served as an executive producer for a pair of HBO series in The Newsroom and Silicon Valley, which were developed under a previous pact with the pay cabler.

Read more at broadcastingcable.com.

 Looking to better align its ad sales teams on the broadcast and cable sides, Fox has elevated Toby Byrne to president of advertising sales for Fox Networks Group.

Byrne, who will continue in his role as president of Fox Broadcasting of Sales, will now have oversight of national ad sales functions and revenue-generating strategies for Fox Networks Group's domestic,entertainment and sports television businesses, He will continue to report to Fox Networks Group president and COO Randy Freer.

The integration will meld the cable and broadcast network sales organizations. The goal is to make the combined group more effective in serving advertising partners and drive revenue with a focus on relationships, people and innovative advertising products. In his new capacity, Byrne will lead revenue growth across all FNG assets, with Fox’s cable sales chief Lou LaTorre reporting to him.

"Toby is an exceptional leader that has guided our successful effort to combine broadcast and national cable sales for Fox Sports, led the revenue launch of Fox Sports 1, and spearheaded our push for recognition of the C7 metric in the upfront,” said Freer.  “He is the right person to creatively lead the Fox sales team as they bring our terrific content to market, drive revenue, and create maximum benefit for our marketing partners across all platforms and devices.”

Noted Byrne: “The ad marketplace has changed dramatically in just the last few years. We no longer live in a linear, single-stream environment, and we need to structure our sales organization to thrive in the evolving media marketplace.  By combining the best attributes of our broadcast, sports, cable and digital sales organizations, we will better serve our clients in developing impactful marketing solutions.”

FNG's Claudia Teran, will take on the new title of General Counsel, Fox Sports, for global business and legal affairs, as announced by General Counsel Rita Tuzon and the unit's EVP.

Teran is the Executive Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, and with the new role, she will handle a team responsible for domestic and overseas sports rights assets. This will include US professional teams, collegiate conferences and international sports properties.

Having supervised an international sports portfolio for years, Teran will also overlook negotiations for sports businesses in Latin America, Europe and Asia in the new role.

“Fox has maintained its premier position as the most successful global brand in television for well over a decade,” said Tuzon in a release. “This is due in no small part to our strategic focus on expanding our leadership position in sports. During that time Claudia has demonstrated an extraordinary ability to ensure that both the company and our team, league, association, and conference partners benefit fully from our efforts.  In a new and expanding multi-platform world she and her tremendous team will play an even more vital role as we expand our ability to bring the most exciting live sports coverage to every corner of the globe. I am delighted that she has agreed to take on these additional responsibilities while continuing oversight of our linear and digital legal teams.”

FNG's networks range from FOX Sports, FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports 2, FOX Sports Regional Networks, FOX College Sports, Big Ten Network, Fox’s 22 owned and operated regional sports networks, and FOXSports.com.