• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, February 27, 2013

An early backer of TV Everywhere, Time Warner isn’t approaching the platform as a way to gain leverage with operators in carriage deals, according to CFO John Martin.

That’s unlike some networks, which believe granting anytime, anywhere distribution rights can deliver added revenue.
 
“I don’t see that as being a big negotiating point [in] the next round of affiliate negotiations. Rather, we would continue to like to see broad-based support from the programming and the distribution industry around TV everywhere to make video-on-demand as robust as possible,” Martin said.
 
He added “while we’ve proven technically it’s possible and more and more programming is available …. there still is an underwhelming amount of consumer awareness, and that’s the next chapter that has to happen.”
 
Separately, speaking to investors, Martin said sales are robust for the impending March Madness tournament, with all 2012 sponsors returning and CPMs up in the high single-digit range
 
Regarding the ad environment, Martin said it remains solid, with scatter pricing above the upfront in the high single-digit to low-teen percentage range. He cited food, insurance and pharmaceuticals among robust categories.
 
In the magazine arena, Martin declined to comment on speculation Time Inc. and Meredith might make some sort of deal to combine operations.

advertisement

advertisement