December 11, 2009

CableFAX: 13. Ready for Round Two: Rocco Commisso

Rocco Commisso
Title: Chairman/CEO, Mediacom
Age: 59
Education: BS, MBA, Columbia University

Why Him? Commisso led Mediacom to one of its best performances last year, earning CableFAX: The Magazine’s ’09 top MSO award. This year, Mediacom’s on track for record-setting free cash flow and the company’s first wideband launch, to 25% of the footprint. And then there’s retrans, which Commisso continues to rail against. More than two months before the expiration of Mediacom’s retransmission consent deal with old nemesis Sinclair, the MSO filed a complaint with the FCC and is seeking help getting interim carriage with the broadcaster during negotiations.

Worth Watching: Satellite ratcheted up marketing in the MSO’s footprint in Q3. Mediacom has opted not to play the deep discounting game on video-only services. Will churned subs return once their DBS promos expire?

The Year Ahead:

Win or lose, another battle with Sinclair likely will be messy.