Mark Cuban

Years in Cable: 15
Education: BA, business administration, Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business
Best Advice: You have to love to grind.

Lauded for his business acumen and known for his provocative opinions (and a little team called the Dallas Mavericks), this cable veteran continues to reinvent himself and the properties he oversees. After rebranding HDNet as AXS TV in 2012, he’s continued to solidify the channel’s reputation as the go-to destination for live music coverage. Case in point: It’s now the official broadcaster of the 2014 Coachella fest, Stagecoach Country Music Festival and New Orleans’ Jazz & Heritage Festival. What’s more, the net has gotten into comedy, with a two-hour block on Thursdays featuring “Tom Green Live” and “Gotham Comedy Live.” Oh, and did we mention he’s a media maven? We love that he’s passing on his well-earned wisdom to budding entrepreneurs on ABC’s “Shark Tank.” You’re in good hands, grasshoppers.

I watch the majority of programming on this device: Samsung 70-inch UHDTV

I wish Congress would just… all resign.

The technology that will most benefit cable over the next year is: Auto-recognition and billing of OTT and Internet of things devices. Plug it in, it knows it is you and adds and bills automatically.

Favorite TV show as a kid? “Three’s Company”

My favorite business/motivational book: The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand