The Paley Museum debuts the Super Bowl exhibit Beyond the Big Game Wednesday, January 17. It runs through March 3 at the museum in New York, and represents a partnership with the NFL and Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

The football fun starts January 17 with Kicking Off Super Bowl LVIII on CBS With The NFL Today, a behind-the-scenes look at CBS Sports’ upcoming broadcast of Super Bowl LVIII. That will feature CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus and on-air personalities Phil Simms, Bill Cowher, Boomer Esiason and Nate Burleson, with Tracy Wolfson, lead reporter for NFL on CBS, moderating. 

Beyond the Big Game will showcase memorable Super Bowl commercials from the past 50 years, including Mean Joe Greene and a young fan bonding over a Coca-Cola; Ridley Scott’s “1984” spot for Apple, Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny teaming up on Nike’s “Hare Jordan” commercial and Bud Bowl I from 1989, which saw stop-motion Budweiser bottles face off against their counterparts from Bud Light. 

The exhibit will feature the Vince Lombardi Trophy and all 57 team rings from each Super Bowl champ, as well as The Weeknd’s halftime show set from Super Bowl LV. There will also be rare artifacts on loan from the Pro Football Hall of Fame, including game balls and jerseys.

“For over 50 years the Super Bowl has served as one of the biggest and most exciting global celebrations and visitors to Beyond the Big Game will be treated to a thrilling Super Bowl showcase, featuring everything from iconic commercials to some of the game’s most memorable moments,” Maureen J. Reidy, president and CEO of the Paley Center for Media, said. “We’re honored to partner with the National Football League and the Pro Football Hall of Fame to present this unprecedented exhibit.”

Super Bowl LVIII happens Sunday, February 11 on CBS. 

The exhibit will also feature over 150 photos of iconic Super Bowl moments, screenings of memorable Super Bowl plays, halftime shows and championship games won by the New York Giants and Jets.

Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBCUniversal Media Group, sat for an interview at a Paley Media Council event in New York December 5. It was a friendly face conducting the interview, as Hoda Kotb, co-anchor of Today and co-host of Today with Hoda & Jenna, sat next to him. 

Lazarus spoke about managing broadcast, cable and streaming platforms, and mentioned “one big content budget” for sports, news and entertainment. Some executives are tasked with finding the best content and others with deciding which platform it runs on. 

“What’s the best content and where can it be successful in our portfolio?” he said. “It’s a combination of art and commerce.”

He called NBC “our flagship” and “the way we reach the most people.” The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade did huge numbers, Lazarus said, and Sunday Night Football is averaging 22 million viewers.  

Broadcast numbers are not nearly what they used to be, but Lazarus made the case that they are still substantial. “We reach massive amounts of people, we have reach and scale,” he said during the event at the Paley Center for Media’s Paley Museum in New York. “That’s great for our distribution partners and that’s great for our advertising partners and it’s really important for our audience.”

NBCU has some 65-70 million pay TV subscribers and 30 million more on Peacock. “We have roughly 95-100 million homes paying us a subscription fee for the value we provide,” he said. “That’s a big number.”

The relationship between programmers and distributors, he said, is “complicated.”

Lazarus added, “It’s more complicated than it’s ever been because there is stress on all of us, stress on our systems.”

Sports rights fees, he said, are no longer defying gravity. “For 30 years everyone said, the sports [rights] bubble is gonna burst, it’s gonna burst. You’re starting to see rights fees growth moderate.”

Kotb, referring to Lazarus as “Laz,” asked to what degree awards shows still command a mass audience. Lazarus responded, “Over the last four or five years, as the awards shows became platforms for people to put out their own views on topics, some of the Middle America audience that clamored for that celebrity maybe got tired of the preachiness of it.”

He called the ratings slide unfortunate. “It was one of those great celebratory moments that people gathered around,” he added. 

Kotb noted that the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris might be another TV event people gather around for. Lazarus agreed. “I think Paris has a real chance,” said Lazarus, citing the “outstanding” setting and some new approaches from the organizers, such as an opening ceremony that will see the athletes on boats, floating down the Seine, with hundreds of thousands of spectators on land, watching and cheering. “It should be an extraordinary scene,” he said. 

Lazarus shared about ducking out of school as a teen to attend the 1980 Games in Lake Placid. “That’s really what put me in love with the Olympic Games,” he said. 

Kotb asked about Taylor Swift turning up at NFL games, and Lazarus said the pop star was likely a ratings catalyst early on, but not so much these days. “I do believe the first one, she helped drive the ratings,” he said. “I think that’s good for the league. For the first couple weeks she was the most popular player in the league, and she did not have to play a down.”

Asked about role models, Lazarus mentioned his father, and shared about how he began at NBCUniversal on the day Comcast closed on its acquisition of it. “The mentality chairman/CEO Brian Roberts and former NBC CEO Steve Burke brought to the place was, ‘We want everybody to act like owners, not renters,” ” Lazarus said. “Respect the place, respect each other.” 

On a personal note, Lazarus said he loves watching Bravo’s Below Deck and new NBC drama Found, which just got a second season order. “It’s a little creepy but it’s really good,” he said of the drama. 

He also plugged Jon Cryer comedy Extended Family, which debuts December 23. 

He referred to working in television as working in “the toy department of the world.”

Lazarus continued, “All my friends who don’t work in this business, what they talk about mostly is what we do in this business.”

The panel “If Content is King, Distribution is King Kong” went down at the Paley Center for Media’s Paley Museum in New York during the Paley International Council Summit. Sowmyanarayan Sampath, CEO, Verizon Consumer Group, and Matt Strauss, chairman, direct-to-consumer and international, NBCUniversal, spoke about attracting users to their services, and the best ways to keep them on board for the long haul. 

Stephanie Ruhle, host of The 11th Hour on MSNBC and senior business analyst, NBC News, was the moderator. Ruhle asked the panelists about combating customer churn. Sampath boasted about the low churn rate at Verizon Consumer Group and mentioned how the major streamers seek to work with Verizon to lower customer departure rates. 

Churn happens when things get complex for the user, Sampath said, such as an expiring credit card that nixes a subscription. “Churn management and retention is an art,” he said. “That’s what we are good at.”

He hinted at Verizon’s ability to “subtly nudge” users who might need a prompt to stay subscribed. 

Strauss mentioned the “infinite choice” of programming that consumers have, describing it as both a blessing and a curse. He said it’s on the networks in terms of “how easy it is to sign up and how easy it is to search and find all the choices that are available.”

Better partnering between networks and distributors and tech platforms, Strauss added, will lower churn rates. 

Ruhle also asked about the best way to get subscribers on board in the first place. Strauss spoke a bit about the launch of Peacock, at a point when the industry’s focus was on ad-free interfaces and binge viewing, he said. “It’s really not how most people watch television,” he countered. “Sometimes you don’t know what you want to watch.”

Peacock sought to “go beyond movies and TV [series],” he said. Borrowing a page from the broadcast playbook, sports and live news give the network a burst of urgency. “It’s what makes TV great, that it’s got a pulse,” he said.

Strauss also talked up Peacock’s $6 monthly price point. The mindset at launch was not to get all of users’ average five hours a day of TV viewing or all of their monthly TV spend, he said, but to get a significant piece of both. 

Strauss said the streaming wars are not winner-take-all: “There will be multiple streaming services.”

The Paley International Council Summit happens November 7-8 in New York. It bears the title “Breaking Boundaries: How New Ideas Are Reshaping Media.” Speakers include Eddy Cue, senior VP of services at Apple; David Kenny, executive chairman, Nielsen; and John Malone, chairman of Liberty Global. 

The panelists broke down whether streaming is starting to resemble cable in terms of bundling networks. “There’s likely going to be some reaggregation,” said Sampath. 

“I call it back to the future,” Strauss added. “If you’ve been in this industry long enough you do tend to repeat things.”

Ruhle brought up the frustration of never seeming to know which streamer a movie or series may be on. The panelists said it’s on the networks to improve the user experience. Sampath mentioned a massive Verizon investment in 5G. 

Strauss said, “I think we’ll look back in a few years, and realize how pedestrian streaming interfaces are.”

The panel “Maintaining Trust in Journalism from Reporters to Aggregators and Everything in Between” was held at the Paley Center for Media in New York during its International Council Summit. Leopoldo Gomez, president, Univision News; Simone Swink, executive producer, Good Morning America; and Matt Murray, editor in chief, The Wall Street Journal, were on the panel, and Alberto Ibarguen, president and CEO, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, moderated. 

Gomez spoke about the polarization going on in America, amid politics and the culture war, and how that erodes trust in the news. “It’s a huge challenge going forward,“ he said.

Swink mentioned how fake news has become a catchphrase, but many who use the term do have a degree of trust in certain individuals and organizations. “When people start locking in on individual brands and individuals bringing them the news,” Swink said, the trust level in news is much higher.

Murray said a newsroom might start every day, assuming readers and viewers don't trust the product, then set out to earn it each day.

Swink brought up the challenge of covering politicians who deny the results of the 2020 election. “How much sound do you play from them?” she asked. “If you choose not to play that sound, are you telling the whole story?”

Swink described that as a daily discussion that did not exist a couple of years ago.

Ibarguen asked what news might look like five years down the road, and how much disruption is needed to retain its relevance. Gomez said the biggest challenge is reaching what he called the “really young,” those 18-35.

Murray shared that news might not need all that much of an upheaval. “There are things about journalism that should not be disrupted, that we should cling to,” he said. “People are always going to need and seek out news.” ■

Paley WKND takes place Friday, September 30, to Sunday, October 2 in New York. The event touches on entertainment, sports and gaming, and the celebs lined up to appear include Kate del Castillo, star of La Reina del Sur, Jimmy Smits, who stars in new CBS drama East New York, Drew Carey of The Price is Right and the Harlem Globetrotters, who return to broadcast TV this fall. 

The Paley Center for Media, which showcases television, is in midtown Manhattan. 

On Saturday, October 1, The Price is Right gang, including host Carey, announcer George Gray and model Devin Goda, talks about the show and lets the attendees play some TPIR games, including Plinko. 

There’s a live podcast watch party with Kirk Franklin, host of Good Words with Kirk Franklin; a screening of TelevisaUnivision film Mirreyes contra Godínez 2: El Retiro (Mirreyes vs. Godinez 2: The Retreat); and a screening of the AMC series Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, which premieres October 2. 

On Sunday, October 2, del Castillo hosts a screening of the season three opener for Telemundo’s La Reina del Sur. The Harlem Globetrotters, stars of Harlem Globetrotters: Play It Forward, put on a show. The Hearst Media Production Group program premieres October 1. Jimmy Smits hosts a screening of cop drama East New York, which premieres on CBS that night. 

Kids events include a watch party for Peppa Pig Clubhouse Special, with an appearance by Peppa, October 1, and a screening of My Little Pony: Izzy Does It October 2. 

On the gaming front, EA Sports shows off Madden NFL 23. 

The museum also has the major championship trophies from Major League Baseball, the NBA, the NFL and the NHL, including the Vince Lombardi Trophy and the Stanley Cup, on display. ■

Altice USA CEO Dexter Goei said he expects to see further consolidation in the broadband business as companies look to build out their fiber networks, telling an industry audience at the Paley Center for Media’s virtual International Summit Wednesday that fixed wireless operators could get involved in the fray. 

Goei knows of what he speaks. Altice USA’s former parent, Altice N.V., got its foothold in the U.S. market through acquisitions, first buying Suddenlink Communications for $9.1 billion in 2015 and Cablevision Systems for $17.7 billion later that same year. Lately, Altice USA has focused on smaller tuck-in deals — like its 2020 purchase of Service Electric Cable TV of New Jersey for $150 million and its $310 million deal to buy Morris Broadband earlier this year — although it did pair up with Rogers Communications in a failed $8 billion bid for Canadian telecom and cable operator Cogeco Communications in 2020. 

“It’s very clear that in the broadband space, as it is in the media space, size does matter,” Goei said at the Paley Center conference. “Having more connectivity with your clients across multiple products and multiple services as much as possible is important.”

Goei added that while there have been several recent deals focused on the cable and fiber space, he sees future M&A activity including fixed wireless operators as well.

“I do suspect there will be more consolidation in the cable space and in the fiber space as more capital keeps on getting thrown at upgrading networks across the country,” Goei said. “However, something I’ve been talking about for quite some time is fixed wireless consolidation. We’ve seen it pretty much in all developed world economies for quite some time. We are where we were probably a year or two ago — in the early innings.”

Goei said he believes the industry is in the middle innings of convergence from a product standpoint, but added that as companies like AT&T and Verizon Communications build out fixed wireless and fiber networks, and wireline broadband providers Altice USA, Comcast and Charter Communications are expanding their product lines with wireless service, something‘s got to give. At some point, the best way to rapidly deploy the necessary infrastructure may be to buy it rather than spend the time and money building it out. 

“So, size does matter, and I expect our sector to see consolidation, as it has for the last few years, continue going forward,” Goei said.

The Paley Center for Media has named Elizabeth Rojas Levi its senior VP of communications and promoted Rene Reyes to VP of public programming and festivals. 

Rojas Levi will be responsible for leading the Paley Center’s brand and reputation efforts, corporate communications strategy and overseeing the organization’s external and internal communications. 

Reyes joined the Paley Center in 2004 and has produced over 800 public programs for the Center.   

"I am thrilled to welcome Elizabeth Rojas Levi to the Paley family and to recognize Rene Reyes for his outstanding work and dedication to raise the Paley Center’s public programs and festivals to new heights," said Maureen Reidy, president and CEO of the Paley Center. "They are both an example of the extraordinary talent, expertise and diversity of our leadership team, and reflect Paley’s position as the standard of excellence in the industry now and for generations to come.”

Rojas Levi comes from Nokia Corp., where she led global communications for Nokia Enterprise. She will be based in New York. 

“It’s an honor to join the team during an exciting time for the industry as technology continues to change consumer behavior, access to content and today’s cultural landscape,” she said. 

Reyes will manage the implementation of the Paley Center’s programs such as the Paley Front Rows and Paley Lives, as well as major festivals, including PaleyFest LA, PaleyFest NY and PaleyFest Fall TV Previews. 

"It continues to be an honor to celebrate and preserve the creative legacy of television through the work of the Paley Center, and a privilege to collaborate with my talented colleagues at Paley and throughout an industry that I love," said Reyes.

The 15th annual PaleyFest Fall TV Previews event begins Sept. 20, with panels set up for shows on ABC, AMC, CBS, Disney Plus, Fox, HBO Max, NBC, Paramount Plus, Peacock, Showtime, TNT and truTV. The shows include Showtime’s American Rust, Fox’s The Big Leap, CBS’s CSI: Vegas, NBC’s Ordinary Joe, ABC’s The Wonder Years and Tru TV’s Tacoma FD, among others. 

Producers and cast are featured in the panels. Panels can be viewed on the Paley Center’s YouTube Channel Sept. 20, while Citi Cardmembers and Paley Center members get access to all panel discussions Sept. 14. 

“We are very excited to present one of the most anticipated programming lineups of the year, all while giving our Paley fans a truly binge-worthy experience with all-at-once access to our panel discussions,” said Maureen J. Reidy, Paley Center president and CEO. “We thank Citi for returning as an official sponsor, ensuring that even more entertainment enthusiasts have access to these enlightening conversations with some of the most talented and creative names in television today.”

Other series to be featured include Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol and One of Us Is Lying on Peacock, Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. on Disney Plus, Ghosts on CBS, The Harper House on Paramount Plus, Love Life on HBO Max, Our Kind of People on Fox, Queens on ABC, Rhodes to the Top on TNT and The Walking Dead Universe on AMC. 

The Paley Center is based in New York and Los Angeles. 

The Paley Center for Media hosts panel “Media's Role in Preparing for Life After COVID-19” July 21. The event gathers top journalists, public health officials and academics to discuss the lessons government and society have learned from the pandemic. 

The panel is released on youtube.com/paleycenter at 10 a.m. ET July 21. 

Juju Chang, co-anchor, Nightline on ABC, moderates.

“Panelists will explore the media's ongoing role in ensuring public awareness, sharing information from government officials and health care experts, and reporting on the state of readiness across America and worldwide as we enter the next phase of the pandemic, in addition to recovery in some areas,” said the Paley Center. “The discussion will also include the importance of ensuring diverse populations have equitable access to information, in order to improve healthcare literacy.”

Panelists include Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, founding director, Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases Policy and Research (CEID), Boston University; Erin Burnett, anchor, Erin Burnett OutFront on CNN; Majority Whip James E. Clyburn, chairman of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis; Elise Jordan, MSNBC/NBC News political analyst; Dr. Jon LaPook, M.D., chief medical correspondent, CBS News; Tommy Thompson, president, University of Wisconsin System and former governor of Wisconsin; and Michelle A. Williams, dean of the faculty, T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard. 

"As our country continues its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, it's important to reflect on this experience and discuss how media’s role in public health can continue to evolve,” said Maureen J. Reidy, president & CEO of The Paley Center for Media. "We're so thankful to our sponsors, the Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, and the Isermann Family Foundation for making this program possible." 

The Paley Center for Media's PaleyImpact programs explore how media influences attitudes, behaviors and actions, and shapes public discourse on critical social issues. 

When Larry King turned 70, I was serving as president and CEO of The Museum of Television & Radio. His family had surprised him by renting out the entire building in Beverly Hills for a memorable birthday bash.

Several months later, we held our annual black-tie gala at the Beverly Hills Hotel, about a mile away. Shortly before it was scheduled to begin, my staff told me that Carl Reiner, our evening’s emcee, had an emergency at home and would not be available that night. Panicked, I asked who else might be in the neighborhood and available to perform the hosting duties.

ALSO READ: Larry King Dies at 87

Within a half-hour, Larry King walked in, fully garbed in a tailored tux with suspenders underneath.

After I shook his hand in appreciation, telling him how amazing it was that he would step in on such short notice, King smiled and gave me a slightly sheepish look.

“Sorry I’m a bit late,” he said. “I actually went to the museum first and was waiting around there for 15 minutes. No one told me this dinner would be at a hotel. I thought for sure that since my birthday party had been so great, everyone was coming back to surprise me again.”

Clark Kent could not have undertaken this type of rescue so quickly and so well. In his own way, Larry King was Superman.

Stuart N. Brotman is the former president and CEO of The Museum of Television & Radio in New York and Los Angeles.

The Paley Center for Media announced Tuesday (Dec. 1) that it has appointed Jamitha Fields to VP, diversity, inclusion and engagement, a new position. Fields will report directly to Paley Center president and CEO, Maureen J. Reidy.

Fields' role will include the development and execution of the Paley Center's diversity, inclusion and engagement strategy by honoring the achievements of African-American, Hispanic, women's and LGBTQ+ in television, developing and continuing relationships with individuals and organizations as well as working with the center's human resources department to seek out opportunities that reinforce the organization's values within the media industry.

“Jamitha has been a valued member of The Paley Center for Media, and with her strong background and impressive leadership skills, I can’t think of a better person to step into this important position,” said Reidy. “The Paley Center has had a long-standing commitment to a diverse company culture and to presenting programming and education classes that shine a light on diverse voices within the media and television industry. The creation of this new position builds upon our continued commitment and strong foundation.”

Previously, Fields had been the VP of development and client services for the Paley Center for four years. There she was responsible for "deepening the engagement of Paley's community, providing the highest level of service to Paley members."

“The Paley Center for Media has demonstrated a strong and ongoing commitment to providing a platform for diverse voices from all backgrounds, celebrating their impact, and increasing awareness about important diversity and inclusion issues facing our culture and society,” said Fields. “I am honored to be appointed to this position and look forward to building upon Paley’s strong commitment and continuing to grow and expand its respected programs and initiatives.”

Prior to joining the Paley Center, she worked as VP of community affairs for Autism Speaks where she was responsible for the organization’s most critical donors, businesses, volunteers and influential individuals. She won an award for her efforts in the organization's Early Access to Care program which sought high quality intervention for children of color on the autism spectrum.

The Paley Center for Media announced Wednesday (Sept. 23) the speaker lineup for its International Council Summit. Globally Connected: Media in the 21st Century will be held on Nov. 10-11, marking the 25th anniversary of the summit.

Executives from numerous brands and companies that will be speaking include: Mike Bloomberg, Bloomberg L.P., Bloomberg Philanthropies; Tami Erwin, Verizon; Brad Smith, Microsoft; Frank Bennack Jr., Hearst; Ted Sarandos, Netflix; Dexter Goei, Altice USA; Mike Fries, Liberty Global; David Zaslav, Discovery Communications; Josh Sapan, AMC Networks and more.

The summit is co-chaired by Henry Kissinger and Frank Bennack Jr., former CEO of Hearst with the keynote address being given by Kissinger. 

Official partners for the summit are Nielsen, Hearst and Verizon, with Verizon having exclusive VOD rights to the discussions.

“In a year where we have seen our world impacted by a global pandemic, we’re honored to be able to convene these distinguished leaders to discuss the current state of the media industry, including the impact of COVID-19,” said Maureen J. Reidy, the Paley Center’s president & CEO. “We look forward to the many informative discussions from the fields of media, government, finance, news, technology, advertising, entertainment, music, sports, and gaming that will take place at this year’s Paley International Council Summit.”  

The Paley Center for Media announced Monday (Sept. 14) a partnership with Verizon Media, which will give the tech giant exclusive streaming rights to the Paley Center's roster of events for the 2020-2021 season. 

Verizon Media will also serve as the official sponsor for Paley Center programs such as premier public programs, television festivals, the Paley International Council Summit and the Paley Center's A Tribute to Hispanic Achievements in Television, which will be part of the Paley Center's Hispanic Heritage Month celebration. 

Verizon's brands, which will all have rights to stream the event, include Yahoo Life, Yahoo Entertainment, Yahoo Finance, Yahoo News and Yahoo Sports.

“We’re thrilled to announce this groundbreaking partnership with Verizon that will inform, entertain, and celebrate some of the most diverse voices in the entertainment and media industry,” said Maureen J. Reidy, the Paley Center’s president & CEO. “Verizon is one of the world’s leading providers of technology, communication, and entertainment, and together we will continue to provide the public with the excellence in programming they’ve come to know year after year.”

“It’s been our mission at Verizon to transform how people, businesses and technology come together to improve the way we live, work and play," said Tami Erwin, Verizon Business CEO and Paley Center board member. "Integral to that mission is a commitment to elevating important conversations on issues that are shaping industry and society. We’re proud to partner with The Paley Center’s premier events, which are known for creating a forum where relevant and engaging dialogue happens.”

The Paley Center recently announced the next panel for its PaleyImpact program. Titled BET: Uniting Brands and Networks for Change, the panel will premiere live on Facebook Friday, July 31 at noon ET. 

The program will include talks with executives within the media and entertainment industry to discuss the racial inequality following George Floyd's death and how all brands and content providers can inspire, educate and inform to eliminate these issues. 

Participants include Scott Mills, president, BET; Derrick Johnson, president and CEO, NAACP; Kim Godwin, executive VP, CBS News; Dennis Williams, senior VP, corporate affairs and social responsibility at WarnerMedia; Damon Jones, chief communications officer, Procter & Gamble; and moderator Danielle Belton, editor-in-chief, The Root. 

“With the nation still grappling with the events of 2020 including the COVID-19 crisis and the murder of George Floyd, this timely and informative discussion with some of the most important names in media could not have come at a more crucial time,” said Maureen J. Reidy, the Paley Center’s president & CEO. “We’re so proud to partner with BET to present this latest discussion in our PaleyImpact series.” 

The Paley Center for Media hosts its International Council Summit Thursday and Friday (Nov. 19-20) in New York, where top media and entertainment company executives will convene to discuss the transactions that "are moving the needle and changing the face of the global media landscape."

The summit, programmed around the theme "Deals & Dealmaking: Capitalizing on the Media Revolution," opens at 9 a.m. Thursday with an interesting pairing when Discovery Commuications president/CEO David Zaslav interviews James Murdoch, CEO of 21st Century Fox.

The event's other keynote speakers are Tim Armstrong, CEO of AOL, and Marni Walden, EVP and president of product innovcation and new business at Verizon, who close out the day at 4:30 p.m. with "40/40 — Going All In on Mobile," during which they promise to open up about their “40-40 opportunity — $40 billion going to mobile and $40 billion going to video." Chris Pantoya, the NBA's SVP of mobile strategy, will moderate.

Among the featured speakers is Hearst executive vice chairman Frank A. Bennack, Jr., who is also chairman of the Paley Center. He and Steve Swartz, Hearst president and CEO, will join Multichannel News editorial director Mark Robichaux at 2:45 p.m. for "Masters of the Game," a half-hour conversation about the executives' game plan for building and reinvigorating a global media powerhouse through the strategic acquisition of content, technologies and multiple platforms. 

Other sessions of note on Thursday include:

--"It’s a Disneyfied World!" at 11:05 a.m., with Andy Bird, chairman of Walt Disney International, and Claudio Chiaromonte, EVP and managing director, The Walt Disney Co. Latin America, on their approach to building Disney’s global network, linking all of its businesses;

--"Breaking the Backend," at 11:35 a.m., with United Talent Agency's Peter Benedek, Discovery's Rich Ross and Leftfield Entertainment's Brent Montgomery, on the new economics of programming, production, content investment and talent deal structures; and

--"Media Myths & Consumer Trends: Separating Fact from Fiction," at 2:30 p.m., a 15-minute talk by Nielsen global president Steve Hasker on Nielsen's progress toward measuring the "Total Audience" for all content across all platforms and consumer trends the media measurement company foresees in 2020.

The conference continues on Friday (Nov. 20) through 1:30 p.m. with six additional sessions. For more information, visit the Paley IC 2015 website.