Years in Cable: 17 (NBC Olympics on cable started in 2000).
Education: BA, University of Michigan; JD, Georgetown
When NBC first made broadcasting the Olympics a priority, they were owned by GE and the big innovation was the “triple-cast” pay-per-view package. Fast forward to 2016, when more than 7,000 hours of coverage were pumped through the linear and digital bloodstream of NBCU and Comcast. Despite downturns in primetime broadcast ratings, NBCU execs declared the Rio Games the most profitable of any in the company’s three-decade run. A big reason was the innovation from Zenkel, a 17-year Olympics veteran, and Bell, who returned to NBC Sports and the Games in 2012 after seven years guiding “Today.”
Q&A
My OTT prediction is… Niche
What product or service could you not live without? Waze