Moonves, Zucker, Zaslav, Carey Deliver Annual Updates at UBS Global Media Conference. Where Were Iger and Schmidt? - Simon Applebaum - MediaBizBloggers

There's no place to witness how key TV executives see their companies as they turn into a new year like UBS' Annual Global Media Conference, running the first full week of December at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in midtown Manhattan.

A few thousand investors cram throughout the sparkling third floor of the Hyatt to take in the stats, plans and opinions from these power players during this three-day affair. So do a bunch of journalists who, under house rules, can't pop questions during the presentations and scramble for precious afterthoughts from the presenters before they are whisked away for meetings elsewhere at the Hyatt, or an airline flight to somewhere.

Two notable absences from the UBS 2010 lineup: Walt Disney and Google. One year ago, Disney CEO Bob Iger was the closing lunch keynote. Very surprised Disney going AWOL here didn't draw much buzz. Wonder what's up there. As for Google, which wowed this crowd a few years ago with a lunch showcase for Google Earth, CEO Eric Schmidt missed a golden opportunity to do it again on behalf of Google TV, and his firm's growing New York presence (as in buying an office complex near Chelsea Market for nearly $2 billion). As for who did show, here's how they're looking at life turning into 2011:

CBS CEO Leslie Moonves--Supreme confidence in staying put as the number one broadcast network. As big a booster of broadcast TV as always. "The argument that TV is the old medium has been refuted very well," he said. "Network TV is still the best game in town, and we've proven that." Looks forward to more retransmission consent fees and a new NCAA men's basketball tournament contract that makes money despite losing games (and ultimately the Final Four every other year) to TBS/TNT/Tru TV. Looking at all new distribution options from Netflix to Google TV--provided they come up with the dough. "Some people call Netflix the anti-Christ and others call it the second coming," Moonves quipped.

NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker--At peace with both leaving NBC, the only workplace he's ever known for the last quarter century, when the Comcast merger happens, and the shape he's leaving the company in. "Not having success in primetime on NBC is my biggest regret," he said. "Primetime is five percent of our revenues and 95 percent of our perception. But the company overall is in fantastic shape," thanks to its assortment of cable networks. Also, it's easy to be at peace when you've endured colon cancer and other health matters. "I know what pain is, and I know what's important with a tremendous amount of perspective." Believes the next two years will see phenomenal changes in TV and the rest of media, and he'll take the necessary time to evaluate his next opportunity.

News Corp. COO Chase Carey--Gearing up for a comeback 2011 on American Idol, the launch of The X Factor that fall, and in between, perhaps more skirmishes with multi-channel distributors over higher fees for running Fox stations and Fox News Channel. "We're pleased with what we've gotten from consent...we could get a lot more," Carey declared. "Fox News is about as important a channel as ESPN." Like Moonves, Carey wants News Corp. to play with the likes of Netflix, Roku, Boxee and Google TV if, only if, they pay up to play. "We have to be smart...if (these and other such ventures) are another buyer, that's good for us if we get fair value."

Discovery Communications CEO David Zaslav--Grown kid in a candy store, with 13 networks in his sandbox just domestically. Discovery and TLC are running on all cylinders, Animal Planet close to that state, and Investigation Discovery the fastest mover in the bunch. If Oprah Winfrey Network (labeled "Oprah Chapter Two" by Zaslav) plays its cards right, starting New Year's Day at noon, "it's a substantial opportunity...to resonate as a major channel here and abroad," he said. Distribution in Canada will launch on day one, and there's major interest already in overseas pickups or customized versions. OWN will the second of three networks Discovery will premiere in a six-month window; The Hub "already has significant life to it" following its mid-October launch, and the 3D channel collaboration with Sony and IMAX arrives by March 31. "Our content looks good in 3D, (but) it's hard to tell how this will work out. We need to know what works and doesn't," while seeing how fast the public buys 3D sets, Zaslav acknowledges.

Lionsgate vice chairman Michael Burns--Carl Icahn or no Carl Icahn takeover advances, forward ho with cable programming activity at Burns' company. Lots to crow ho about: Pay cable net Epix is profitable after just one year in business available in more than 30 million homes ("a great home run for all," Burns said), TV Guide Channel continues to ramp up original content, and Fearnet keeps drawing the video-on-demand crowd in bigger numbers while establishing itself as a linear network. The big 2011 goal: draw more than a billion in annual revenues from original series production for cable and syndication. Series are in development at Mad Men-home AMC, TNT, Spike TV and Comedy Central (adapting the 2005 independent film Waiting), and you get the impression that Lionsgate will stick its hands into interactive TV sooner than later. "Your remote control is going to become a big keyboard, (able to) stream movies and other products to you," concluded Burns.

Now let's follow the next 12 months and find out what we see is what these executives see.

One more observation from this passing parade: Amazing that in separate one-on-one interviews with Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg and AT&T senior executive vice-president Rick Lindler, the UBS analyst involved failed to ask a specific question about FiOS TV and U-verse, the respective cable overbuild ventures of these companies. That's comparable to not asking a baseball player about the game-winning home run he just had. Please remember not to avoid the subject next December. Thanks in advance.

Until the next time, stay well and stay tuned!

Simon Applebaum is host/producer of Tomorrow Will Be Televised, the Internet radio/podcast-distributed program about the TV scene. The program runs live Mondays/Fridays at 3 p.m. Eastern time, noon Pacific time on BlogTalk Radio. Replays are available 24/7 at www.blogtalkradio.com/simonapple04, on podcast from ITunes.com and other Web sites arranged by Sonibyte, via TiVo and Cable in the Classroom (details at www.ciconline.org/podcasts). Have a question or reaction? Send it to simonapple04@yahoo.com

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