Brent Smith, Tom Carson & Tom Rogers

Tom Carson
Title: President & CEO, Rovi

Tom Rogers
Title: President & CEO, TiVo
Years in Cable: 34 years, counting my time on Capitol Hill
Education: BA, government, Wesleyan University; JD, Columbia Law School
Best Advice in 7 Words or Less: Be the one making change happen.

Brent Smith
Title: President & CTO, Evolution Digital
Years in Cable: 34

Education: 34 years of on the job experience, learning to: install cable, align satellite dishes, tune bandpass filters, sell cable and satellite programming, establish sales and distribution channels in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, design and develop digital video products for North, Central and South America.

Best Advice in 7 Words or Less: Surround yourself with very smart people.
Leaders at the helm of TiVo, Evolution Digital and Rovi, these trailblazers all work to improve the customer experience. TiVo is no longer just a DVR box; it’s now a leader in advanced TV entertainment for the cable industry. In the past year, Rogers has grown TiVo’s MSO revenue by 40 percent and counts 20 of the top 25 global MVPDs as partners. He also oversaw the integrations of Neflix into cable boxes, ending the year with 11 such integrations in the U.S. At Evolution Digital, Smith brought the hybrid set-top box to the U.S. market, created strategic partnerships with TiVo and Rovi, and he has developed more than 14 new product concepts, which led to successful deployments in seven major countries in the past few years. Carson has seen Rovi secure major international deals with América Móvil, LG Electronics, Microsoft, and Yahoo!; acquire companies Veveo and Fanhattan; and with its expansive metadata archive attain a reach of 70 countries.

Rogers
I watch most programming on this device: TiVo
I wish Congress would just… go back to the way it was in the ‘80s.
Favorite Cable Show memory: The launch of CNBC on April 17, 1989
Favorite vacation spot: Home
Who’s on tap for the next big comeback? Jay Leno
Desert island album: Anything Van Morrison
Favorite TV show as a kid: “Leave It To Beaver”
My favorite business/motivational book: Who Moved My Cheese?

Smith
I watch most programming on this device: Mostly my iPad Mini, on an airplane, watching downloaded video content from Xfinity and my TiVo
The biggest innovation in cable over the last year: That’s easy. A “Cablecard-less” Hybrid QAM/IP set-top made by Evolution Digital, that can descramble all cable TV channels, as well as receive OTT and TV Everywhere content over IP. It has an advanced user interface that can universally search all content, allowing the subscriber to access all his video content on a single device, regardless of whether it is directly from the cable operator, or over the Internet. (I may be slightly biased!)
Should the industry embrace or reject “virtual MSOs” and why? Provided the virtual MSO’s are not given preferential treatment by the FCC to access to the broadband pipe, I think they should be allowed into the market. Consumers are asking for choice in how they access video content, and from whom. I am confident that the cable industry can more than compete with virtual MSOs. Perhaps when consumers start to see the pricing options from these vMSOs, and experience inconsistent video quality for HD and 4K video, due to the fact it is being delivered over an unmanaged internet connection, they may realize that cable does provide value for money.
Apple iWatch or Rolex? Neither, it’s just one more thing I would have to take off going through airport security.
Favorite Cable Show memory: It was at the Western Cable Show in Anaheim in the mid 80’s. I saw a demo of digitally compressed video and thought it was the coolest thing ever.
Who’s on tap for the next big comeback? Elvis. I heard someone saw him at a gas station, so it is only a matter of time before he is headlining in Branson, MO.
Favorite TV show as a kid? “Hockey Night in Canada.” I am Canadian, so it was mandatory viewing.