JU N E 2 0 12 (Continued from Page 4) Digital TV In Hungary The Hungarian transition to digital broadcasting should be complete by October 2013, but in reality the actual completion date is still unknown. However, Hungary’s digital TV industry is faring very well. In the DTT sector, for example, Antenna Hungária’s FTA serviceMinDig TV is now available in over 300,000 homes with seven channels. Its pay-TV counterpart MinDig TV Extra has over 63,000 subscribers for its 24 channels. Hungary’s pay sector is made up of a large number of local and regional cable operators (more than 400) and a few larger operators (UPC Hungary, Fibernet, and T-Kabel) and by the end of 2010, 20 percent of the country’s cable households were already digital. Last September, 46 percent of UPC’s 619,200 subscribers were digital. In November 2010 the number of cable households of Magyar Telekom was almost 312,000. The Hungarian market is also served by several satellite packagers with a total of five operators serving some 840,000 homes with Digi TV the market leader with about 43 percent of subscribers. UPC owns the satellite platform UPC Direct, which has more than 210,000 subscribers, or 22 percent of satellite homes. T-Home has 28 percent and the rest are shared between Hello HD and Magyar Telekom, which is also making significant strides in its rollout of interactive services, like DTH platform Interactive Sat TV, which launched last December. ICM Agents Get Trophy Top agents at Los Angelesbased International Creative Management (ICM), one of Hollywood’s leading agencies, completed a buyout of the firm from longtime chairman and CEO Jeff Berg and Michiganbased private equity firm Rizvi Traverse Management. Twenty-nine agents representing a cross-section of the firm’s core business (film, TV, publishing and touring) are now partners of the 400-person firm, which was renamed ICM Partners. The buyout plan began after a group of senior agents led by president Chris Silbermann demanded a new ownership structure, allowing the agents to control their business and reinvest profits to rebuild the agency, which has been struggling. Rizvi Traverse Management acquired controlling interest in ICM for over $75 million in 2005. The next year, the firm invested another $70 million so that ICM could acquire TV agency powerhouse Broder Webb Chervin Silbermann, which improved ICM’s financial position. However, the merger put a strain on the corporate culture, which led to the buyout. According to a statement released by the new partners, Rizvi Traverse and Berg sold their equity interest “for a combination of cash, preferred non-voting shares and an ongoing interest in certain assets of the company.” Although he plans to remain with the agency, Berg will relinquish his board seat and management role. The new partners include Chris Silbermann, Ted Chervin, Kevin Crotty, Chris von Goetz, Eddy Yabians, Richard Levy, Greg Lipstone, Sloan Harris, Robert Broder and Michael Kagan. ICM has a powerful lineup in scripted and non-scripted TV, representing top producers and international TV formats such as Chuck Lorre, Shonda Rhimes, and Studio Lambert/Undercover Boss. Plus, the firm represents talent such as Al Pacino, Ellen DeGeneres, Megan Fox and Josh Hutcherson. NATPE’s New CEO: Rod Perth Nearly a month after former president and CEO Rick Feldman left his post (after nine years), U.S. TV industry executive Rod Perth was named the new president and CEO of NATPE. The Los Angeles-based association’s co-chairs Jordan Levin and Chris Grant made the announcement in late May. As president and CEO of NATPE, Perth will be in charge of a senior management team consisting of six direct reports and a total staff of 20 people. He will report to the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors. Prior to joining the non-profit organization, Perth was president of RHP Media Consulting. Before that, he was co-founder and president of Television for the ReelzChannel TV Network. In addition, he was president of Jim Henson TelevisionWorldwide and president of USA Network Entertainment. Perth started his career at CBS Television Station Group and subsequentlyranlate-nightprogrammingfor the CBS Television Network. He has served as a board member at Marvel and CNET network, part of CBS interactive. He’s also an adjunct professor at Los Angeles-based USC’s Film School. V I D E O • A G E 6 C M Y CM MY CY CMY K VIDEOAGEFULLPAGE.ai 1 07/06/2012 09:18:50a.m.
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