Distribution Muscle: Brown Joins Outdoor

Looking to boost distribution beyond an estimated 30 million homes, the Outdoor Channel has signed a new head of affiliate relations. Randy Brown joins as senior vice president, handling affiliate sales, after holding a similar post at the Tennis Channel.

For most independent channels, such as Outdoor and Tennis, securing carriage deals can be an uphill battle without the negotiating heft of a multi-channel suite. Cable and satellite operators can obtain a better price on a well-watched channel in exchange for pick-up of a lesser-known outlet.

In May, Brown scored a coup for the Tennis Channel by inking a deal with DirecTV that is estimated to nearly double its distribution.

Outdoor Channel suffered a setback in June when Comcast shifted the network to a pay-for-play tier win, which means subscribers have to pay an additional $4.95 a month to receive it. The move affected some 500,000 homes, though the channel has yet to report how many subscribers have been lost as a result.

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Brown said independents "promote choice and competition." In that vein, satellite operators such as DirecTV have added channels that cable distributors have avoided in an attempt to gain a leg up. For example, Dish Network recently joined DirecTV in offering the Big Ten Channel as Comcast and other cable providers have so far refused to pay the channel's asking price for sub fees.

Augmenting Brown's faith in the future of independent cable channels is his role as a co-founder of the Association of Independent Programming Networks.

The hunting and fishing Outdoor Channel said Brown's accomplishments at the Tennis Channel included deals bringing launches to 47 of the top 50 markets. He has previous affiliate relations experience at ESPN, which does offer the chance to negotiate with several must-have channels, while looking to gain distribution for secondary outlets such as ESPN News.

Brown's hiring follows Lloyd Bryan Adams joining Outdoor as executive producer to oversee the slew of 40-plus original shows in development.

The network, under the leadership of well-known cable veteran Roger Werner, has been trying to bolster programming as a fulcrum for attracting ad dollars and distribution. In the second quarter, ad revenues climbed 19% to $6.8 million.

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