Roger Lynch
Roger Lynch
Title: CEO, Sling TV
Years in Cable (Pay-TV): 16
Education: BS, University of Southern California; MBA, Dartmouth College
Best Advice in 7 Words or Less: Skate to where the puck is going.
Lynch and his team incorporated everything cord-cutting consumers could want from TV streaming into Sling TV, and then some. To do it, Lynch first had to build cross-functional relationships with programmers, advertisers, and content deliverers. Although demand for Final Four viewing proved a big stress test for the service, Lynch moved quickly to make some tech adjustments while continuing to sign on more big-name networks, most recently HBO.
The biggest innovation in cable over the last year: The increasing use of big data analytics to provide a better customer experience and to predict network problems.
Should the industry embrace or reject “virtual MSOs” and why? Embrace. Virtual MSOs provide much needed innovation to the industry and represent an opportunity to go after an under-served market.
Desert Island Album: Bruce Springsteen – Born To Run
The technology that will most benefit cable over the next year is… OTT. It may seem counter-intuitive to some, but OTT adoption is good for cable companies. People who use OTT services need very high speed, high capacity broadband that cable is almost uniquely positioned to provide. Broadband also happens to be cable’s most profitable product line.
My favorite business/motivational book: Cryptonomicon