Bob Clasen
Title: President/CEO, Starz
Last Year: #62
Age: Old enough to remember when Paul Maxwell was editor of CableVision Magazine
Education: Bowling Green State U, BA, MA

Why Him? Clasen’s strategy of shackling Starz to scripted dramas like Crash while the network remains grounded in commercial-free films is paying off. Revenue was up 3% year-to-date. Flagship service Starz counted 17.4mln subs through Q3, up 8.1% vs last year, and Encore had 31.6mln Q3, up 4.3%. Nielsen data placed Starz in the top 20 for much of the year and Encore in the top 30. The company provides almost 40% of all HD on-demand usage through Starz HD On Demand, Encore HD On Demand and MoviePlex HD On Demand.

Worth Watching: The unfolding of the Starz Play-Netflix licensing deal has some crying foul since it seems to diss traditional cable distribution. Clasen maintains it’s just the latest cog in Starz’s swelling broadband wheel.

Year Ahead:
Original programming looks promising, and Starz’s multiplatform embrace may shine brightest of all.

Favorite Show Not on My Network: The Daily Show

In ’09 I Resolve To: Work with our affiliates to launch more services to make Starz programming accessible on all platforms

CO

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