Ted Griggs
Title: President & GM, Comcast SportsNet Bay Area and Comcast SportsNet California
Years in Cable: 17
Education: BA, Broadcast Communication Arts, San Francisco State University
Best Advice in 7 Words or Less: This is a get to do job, not a got to do job. (Shoot, that’s 13 words). Okay, Sports is a get to do job.
Griggs leads one of the most prolific duos of regional sports nets, serving 4 million households in Northern California, Nevada, Southern Oregon and Hawaii. Collectively, the networks under his purview deliver more than 600 live sporting events per year, and 1,500 live studio shows. Among recent highlights, in January, Comcast and NBCU announced a 10-year partnership with the San Francisco 49ers and as a part of the partnership, Comcast SportsNet Bay Area built a new, state-of-the-art TV studio for gameday broadcasts and other programming. He balances his professional work with philanthropy. Last year, he accompanied former San Francisco 49ers’ coach Jim Harbaugh on a service trip to a small town in Peru, where 60 percent of the population lives in poverty. Together they built houses, provided food and clothing—and played a mash-up game of part rugby, part soccer and part football with the locals. Who won? Everyone.
I watch most programming on this device:
Large HD television. The bigger, the better. That is where Sports is best.
The biggest innovation in cable over the last year: TV Everywhere
What’s the next big broadband project no one’s talking about yet and why? People are talking about the X-1 platform, but they should investigate the sports app further. It is remarkable!
If I had a show on YouTube it would be called… analogies for life by Ted
Favorite screen: If I can’t watch a game at home on my big screen, I love being able to watch the Warriors games streamed live on my phone or tablet via the NBC Sports Live App while walking the streets of San Francisco. Steph Curry hits a three as I get on a cable car. How cool is that?
The day we get multiplatform measurement is the day I… celebrate with a nice tall cold one.
Apple iWatch or Rolex? Rolex, I guess, but I’d rather have a Swatch because I tend to misplace things and I don’t want to lose anything expensive.
If I could interrupt Kanye West just once, I would tell him… Which team does Kanye West play for?
I wish Congress would just… get along. Don’t compromise your principals, but don’t be ideologues either. C’mon!
Twitter, Instagram or Snapchat? Twitter, as a follower
My favorite newfound hobby: I’m working on mosaic art using old wine and beer bottles. The best part is emptying the bottles.
If Disney hired me to reboot “Star Wars” I would… further investigate the “Life and Times” of Chewbacca.
My “Real Housewives” catch-phrase is… “Class with the Countess”
The technology that will most benefit cable over the next year is: TV Everywhere—we have to figure out a way to get all sports available on all platforms.
