Three heads of the top cable networks this morning took the INTX stage alongside CNBC’s Julia Boorstin. Matt Blank, Chairman and CEO of Showtime Networks, John Landgraf, CEO of FX Networks & FX Productions, and Josh Sapan, President & CEO of AMC Networks all noted how the many record-breaking shows and diverse content push the limits of cable TV. Yet, these same companies are also faced with a shifting media landscape as talked about by cable operators in an earlier session today.
For Showtime’s Blank, “New distribution has always been critical – we intend to grow households and we need new ways to do that…there’s a lot of opportunity in a lot of different corners of the marketplace to grow Showtime.”
All three executives agreed that coming up with the best looking and most effective interface to display their content is key. According to Sapan, “Interfaces are not just face lifts they are fundamental…and if you combine that with the feeling that you can get what you want when you want it, I think your motivation increases and you actually consume potentially even more.”
Just like everything from taxi services to dinner reservations, cable networks are coming up with new excellent user interfaces that are consistent with the best out there.
“Television used to be somewhat disposable…Now we make stories and we’re evaluating will this story still be relevant ten years from now.”
All three also highlighted how the current model has improved the level of content for everyone. Live television, a thing seemingly of the past, is still a huge market for these networks. Sapan discussed the importance of binge watching and viewers experiencing a show alone on any device of their choice. But a huge part of these networks’ content is community, which you can only get from the live TV experience, Sapan said, “I think there’s actually an oddly bright future [for live television] that will be defined with greater specificity about what wins at a time slot.”
FX’s Landgraf explained that, “Television used to be somewhat disposable. It was made on some level for the night it went on the air. Now we make television and stories and we’re evaluating will this story still be relevant ten years from now or twenty years from now… It’s an asset that will continue to return from a financial standpoint for a long time. And that’s great, because essentially what that does is raise the creative bar. Whereas you might have asked yourself the question, will people watch this on a Sunday night? Now you ask yourself the question, can we imagine two people sitting in a room talking about this show ten years after it’s off our air? That’s a much better question to ask in terms of the quality.”
Today, consumers have a mix of live viewing, DVR time-lapse viewing, VOD, and mobile viewing through interfaces that are constantly evolving. “Our ability to use this technology to manage through these platforms creates tremendous value for subscribers,” Showtime’s Blank concluded.
Watch the full video of the programmers segment from the Wednesday General Session below: